A WereHunter's story : Paris's story
by DazedInReality
Summary: Proud katagaria lion Paris lived his life on his own terms as a restless tumbleweed blowing through life with his harley and BF Trey, until he meets Ariel who with Paris's help and passion overcomes her painful past and learns to trust again.
1. Chapter 1

**(Paris is in fact a creation of SK, I think his first appearance was in 'unleash the night' - Wren's book. However if you don't believe me check him out on the DH website - trust me he's cute!)**

Paris Sebastienne flashed himself to Neratiti, the mysterious island that floated off the shores of Australia, unheard of and uninhabited except for one person. Savitar. Now that guy was one truly freaky individual. No one knew exactly what Savitar was only that he was a being with unrivalled, immeasurable power, as a testament to the kind of power Savitar possessed he was feared and revered by all were-hunters, which was not an easy feat. He was leader and referee of the Omegrion, which was the all ruling council of were-hunters and if you wanted to open a Limani; he was the guy you had to get the thumbs up from. Running a Limani was nothing short of suicidal to Paris's point of view, and Savitar, renowned for his ruthlessness and lack of compassion and mercy was quick to deny the honour to anyone whom he deemed unworthy. By opening a Limani you set down roots which was something Paris had never done, no place had ever felt right enough for him to consider spending the rest of his days and though by no means a young cub anymore, the thought of being in one place for the rest of his life gave him the eebies.

He stepped further into a large circular room that was decorated in burgundy and gold, the heels of his scuffed biker boots clicking on the black marble floor while his golden eyes behind his dark sunglasses took in the ceiling to floor windows that spanned the room and were open letting in the sight and sound of the surf, with intense sunlight shining through making the gilded ceiling sparkle.

The room was lushly decorated and in the centre of the room was a large circular table and to the side, up high like a lifeguards tower was Savitar's throne, where he sat playing mediator.

The mysterious king of weird hadn't arrived yet and sparsely scattered about the chamber were some of his Katagaria Brethren, Paris gave a wry smirk to note that after all this time still no Arcadian dared to turn up on his own. They arrived in a huge pack all at once, afraid of facing their animal cousins. Paris had no time for Arcadian's and though he played nice with them here, because Savitar would fry his Litarian ass to cinders and the neutrality rule notwithstanding, if he met one of them outside this enchanted island they would die by his hands. Or be maimed for the rest of their lives.

He had been pronounced a slayer since birth and knew no other way of life then that of rogue and runaway, since most of his pride had been killed off over the centuries by insane Sentinels and as Katagaria lions it was in their nature to exile males once they reach maturity, he had taken to life on the road, with only his Harley and Ax for company.

Who, incidentally, he had left in a rundown, side of the road bar in Arizona somewhere, Ax was currently going by the second of his three titles he had given himself (Trey), gods knew why. And he was making time with a gorgeous, pouty brunette who had Paris's name all over her until he got the call to bring his furry hide to this place. Paris let a hiss of irritation escape through his teeth and allowed his eyes scan the crowd, a few more Katagaria faces flashed in and that completed the whole set bar two, Nicolette Peltier, the Ursulan rep and Lysander Stephanos, the Tigarian rep. Lysander wasn't conspicuous in his lateness, he lived completely by his own rules and was very much a loner, like most tigers.

Nope, no Arcadians, he thought, not counting Vane Kattalakis who was the Arcadian Lykos rep, but everyone knew his story and no one would dare challenge him for being here, if they did, Paris thought with a grin, they had to contend with not only Vane's power as Sentinel and Aristos but his brother Fury. When it came to fighting there were few better then that psychotic wolf. Besides that the wolf was extremely popular among the Katagaria community. Paris felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and his whole body grew still, his lion heart growling as someone stalked up behind him.

Paris spun round just in time to catch Dante before the Panther pounced, Paris snarled and threw the panther laughing from him.

"You piece of shit!" Paris growled but smiling openly as he extended his hand towards Dante Pontis. "How's life, panther?"

Addressing a were-hunter by his animal form was a sign of respect and most Katagaria preferred to be referred to as such. Dante inclined his head.

"Life's looking better everyday," he replied with a self-satisfied shrug and grin, Paris raised an eyebrow, what was it with Weres as soon as they were mated they walked around like they owned the world?

Paris couldn't see how being tied to the same woman for the rest of your life could do that, but he just guessed it was one of those - 'you have to experience it to find the humour in it' things.

"How's your mate?" Paris asked out of genuine curiosity. He knew that Dante, a fierce hater of Arcadians, was mated to an Arcadian pantheress. Dante however just grinned even wider.

"She's fine, we just dropped a litter so she's a little tired, but she's happy and she has her sister around so it helps."

"Mixed?" Paris had to ask and he watched Dante grow still as if readying for a fight.

"Yeah. Eldest was Arcadian and the rest were Katagaria."

"Gonna be tough on him being the only one," Paris observed sombrely, feeling something kin to sympathy for the little human boy having to grow up in the midst of his animal brothers. He may have no love for Arcadians but as far as he was concerned a child was a child, race, creed and colour goes out the window when it comes to babies.

"He'll do fine, he won't be treated any different. He'll be loved like the rest."

Dante said it casually though there was an underlying threat of violence as though he were daring Paris to deny it. But Paris nodded and smiled, "Still feel sorry for the poor little bastard, having you for a father and all."

Dante gave a wry grin and jerked a shoulder, "yeah, me too."

"So you know why we been called?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, one of the lion prides are bringing a case against a psychotic cub," Paris said with a shrug.

"Trelosa?

"Apparently."

As the Katagaria Litarian rep, he knew a little more about the situation then most but he was still unsure of who the accused was and who was bringing the charges. Plus Paris never took his role as rep. to seriously.

A flash in the centre of the room drew their attention and both Weres stood agape as a Arcadian lioness stood in the middle of her Katagaria cousins, her face cool and uncaring that she had literally thrown herself into the lions den. No pun intended, Paris thought to himself as he surveyed her with a dark smirk. Dante's black eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline as he watched her saunter with a self-possessed grace and self-confidence that was hard to come by and was innate rather then learnt, to the right side of the table and take her seat.

Damn! Was the last word that entered his mind before it sizzled out of action like an electric appliance breaking down after an overload.

"Well, that's something you don't see everyday," Paris heard himself say, then heard Dante's murmur of shocked agreement and a low appreciative whistle next to them.

"I'll say," the Drakos rep, Darion said, his eyes raking her figure and then clucked his tongue as she turned to seat herself coolly at the table, looking at nothing yet taking in everything.

For some reason he didn't like the thought of the dragon looking at the young lioness like that, perhaps it was simply because he was dragon and subconsciously he realised that that was kind of racist but he didn't give a shit.

"She's new," Paris said frowning.

"She's brave," Dante said rather admiringly.

"She's fucking sexy," Darion said and looked as if he was a man spying his first meal after a months long fasting. Paris cleared his throat, he was irritated at the Drakos and was irritated at himself that he was irritated. It wasn't as if he had any designs on her … even without being Arcadian she wasn't his type. He liked brunettes like the hotty back at the bar, this one was a blond like him.

She was tall and made even taller by the heels she had on her sedate black pumps, she looked like an executive manager of some fancy business, though with some details that put unwanted fantasies in Paris's mind. Her black satin pencil skirt stopped just above her knee to reveal an expanse of toned, honey coloured flesh of her shapely, feminine carves and strong looking ankles as if she ran regularly. He had noted that she had women's black braces clipped to her skirt but were criss-crossed over her ass as if she merely put them there for decoration rather then use, in Paris's mind he had an image of her tumbling wantonly upon a desk while a man, any man, him … ripped at her clothes and in her haste to get her clothes on once that little afternoon delight was over, she had forgotten to pull them up.

Paris admitted that the straps of the braces weren't noticeable unless you were gawking her ass, his gaze strayed up and he lost the need to breathe. Her flared hips that were emphasised appreciatively by her skirt connected to a tucked in waist encased in a red silk blouse, it was low enough to show a hint of teasing cleavage but high enough to drive you mad wanting more, over this she had on, and Paris thought it a sin really, covering such a nice body up, a sexy little black business jacket. Her whole outfit was designed to accentuate her amazing body in all the right places. The woman had more curves then a road map and everyone was designed to drive men wild and what was even worse adding to his desire was that by her scent alone, that reached him across the floor, Paris knew she wasn't mated. Under that light flowery perfume she wore that was just subtle enough to be tempting and just heavy enough to draw you in as she walked past, he knew she was single.

Paris licked his lips, tipped his shades down the bridge of his nose to get a better look at her, her dark blonde hair divided on a side parting was drawn back into a severe looking bun at the base of her neck. Dainty studs glinted in her ears, a thin chain at her neck and a light mask of make up covered her face but not so heavy as to detract from her obvious natural beauty.

The woman knew the art of subtly and finesse, she had grace and elegance that bled from her very pores, was made all the more sexy by the fact that it was a birthright rather then something meticulously taught and remembered. Paris's only complaint was her face was set in such a cold and stern way that it didn't do justice to that soft wonderful skin tone, her eyes a wide, bright blue were like chips of ice from the coldest glacier.

"If she weren't Arcadian I'd go give her the pleasure," Darion said and when he turned to see both Paris and Dante looking at him with sardonically raised eyebrows, he put his hands up unconsciously in surrender. "of my company! Geeesh, get your minds out the gutter!"

"You should go over there anyway," Dante said casually, still he hadn't taken his eyes off of the cool, blond beauty.

"Why?" both Darion and Paris asked frowning.

"Because she might be your mate." Dante said with finality and Darion looked at the woman with obvious interest again, a fire lighting behind his eyes, Paris opened his mouth panicked trying to stall him.

"She's a lion - your dragon - its unlikely you'll be mated! Think of your kids!"

Darion smiled but before he could say anything more the rest of the Arcadian reps flashed themselves into the chamber along with the two missing Katagaria ones, followed instantaneously by Savitar. As well as not knowing what Savitar was in cosmic terms, his race was indefinable also, he could be accused of being Asian, Italian, Spanish, Arab, he was a hard one to place and Paris had long since given up trying. His long, dark brown hair swung lightly about his broad shoulders, his black eyes were always alight with mocking and bitingly sarcastic wit, he had a neatly trimmed goatee and swaggered his way through the crowd of animals, confident in his six feet of pure power to protect him from any adversary; Paris couldn't blame him. He was dressed in a long dark flowing robe, that looked ancient Egyptian in design and his huge feet were bare.

"Animals, people," he said walking through them with his arms extended at either side, no one mistook this as a gesture of warmth and welcome, he sat upon his throne with a resigned sigh and before he spoke again he grinned at Dante. "Cop a squat."

Paris laughed when he saw the Panthers teeth go on edge and as he sat Paris heard Dante muttering darkly to himself.

" … Hate that saying … knows I hate that."

"Shut up grumbling, panther," Savitar said easily and watched the rest of the weres take their seats around the table. Paris's eyes involuntarily shifted to his right back to the lioness already seated, there was only a chair between them, Paris's heart jumped. And angry with himself he gritted his teeth intent on ignoring her. Paris looked determinedly at Savitar and noticed with a curling feeling of dread that the all powerful being was reading his mind from the dark quirk in his lips and glint in his eyes. Paris shifted uncomfortably and hoped to Artemis, Savitar needed to surf real bad and didn't have time to waste on him. But that ominous feeling did not go away and Savitar huffed out a quiet laugh and opened the council of Omegrion.

"There's no point of going through the litany, we all know why we're here, or we will in a second," he turned to pin his stare on a lion standing to the side of Savitar's throne. The lion was tall with light brown hair, he bowed his head respectfully to Savitar before he spoke.

"We are here to dispense justice upon a rabid lioness, she is caught in the throes of the trelosa and has attempted to kill many times. We thought it only fair that we bring her before the Omegrion."

As he said the last sentence he cast a murderous glare over his shoulder at a young lion who had stood unnoticed behind what was most definitely his father. The lion was young, Paris observed, but he could hold his own, evident by the glare he returned to his father. His father turned back to address the Omegrion.

"My son wished for her to tried fairly, we rely on your judgement."

"You have your doubts as to her guilt," Savitar addressed the son, he made it a statement not a question. The boy nodded, not censored by his father's quelling look.

"I do, my lord," the son answered, his tone was quiet, respectful, yet steady. "I do not believe she is lost to the trelosa, she has been left alone a long time, she is feral."

"She is a danger to everyone!" his father spat, Paris raised his eyebrow, he smelt a rat, a shifting to his right made him glance at his Arcadian rep counterpart. Apparently she thought along the same lines. "She nearly ripped her father's throat out!"

"Yet her father does not bring her here to be tried?" Savitar said and the man stood straighter.

"Yes he does."

Paris narrowed his eyes. "You are her father?" he said, a feeling of deep dislike for this lion growing within him.

"I am."

"Did she do this?" Paris looked past the father to the son, who hesitated before reluctantly nodding.

"Without provocation?" Nicolette Peltier asked, she also looked sceptical, she had once accused the young tiger Wren of being mad with the trelosa, he could understand why she would look closely before passing judgement.

"It seems so … but I was not there," the son hurriedly added, while his father growled.

"Bring her out we'll take care of a rabid Katagaria," Anelise Romano, the snow leopard rep, grinned evilly, "its what we're good at."

Immediately there was an outbreak of spitting, curses and growls from the Katagaria side, Paris again looked at the young lioness and saw she still sat coolly and calmly waiting for the noise to subside. She did not join her Arcadian brethren in their jibes and insults, this pleased him which in turn irritated him. Savitar yawned widely and then raised a lazy hand and silence descended once more, Paris curled his lip as he watched Anelise grin with the Arcadian next to her.

"Bring in the accused," Savitar's voice rang through the chamber and both father and son bowed and flashed out of the chamber only to reappear second later with two more lions and a lioness, all holding on to chains securing a writhing young lioness in the middle of their circle.

It was easy to determine that the accused lioness was only barely out of puberty, she had not even acquired the skill to remain in human form, it was impossible for any young were to retain their human form in the daylight hours as it was for Arcadians to use their animal form. Paris however was not looking at the lioness, who certainly looked mad by the way she swiped and growled and ripped at her chain. Paris's eyes were fixed on the blond woman who at seeing the lioness had made an involuntary gesture as if to get up out of her seat but stopped herself in time.

"She is mad you see!" her father demanded, "she must be put out of her misery!"

Paris felt a vicious growl rumble in his throat but suppressed it, his fists clenched and unclenched as he eyed the cuts marring the lioness's fur, the congealed blood.

"This is a Katagaria problem," Darion's voice spoke from the other side of the table, "she cannot be judged by Arcadians, they will not try her fairly."

The animals cheered in agreement while the humans objected angrily, all except the blond lioness who merely looked up at Savitar, with polite interest. The noise level rose to an unbelievable high and Paris felt the urge to roar his distress as his sensitive ears felt like they were bleeding under the scathing decibels.

Savitar stroked his goatee thoughtfully and a loud bang that resounded form the very walls punctured the noise and it slowly descended like air being let gradually out of a balloon.

"How do you wish her executed?" Savitar asked her father who beamed unabashedly at Savitar.

"No!" A furious shout sounded close to Paris, her firm, clear voice stopped all shuffling and muttering, it rendered everyone within hearing distance completely still, made shivers fly up Paris's spine. He deliberately rubbed the skin on the back of his hand that had bobbled with goose bumps from the sound of her melodic accent, all eyes narrowed on the young woman. Savitar grinned and waved his hand signalling her to speak.

"This lioness is not effected by the trelosa," the lioness rep. said her voice barely trembling with nerves, she flashed herself into the centre near the said lioness that had gone surprisingly still.

"How would you know human!" the father spat, using the word human like a curse and the young woman turned to face him fully, a strange look past over his face as if he were searching his memory banks in effort to find her face.

"Who is she that dares to interfere?" the Katagaria jaguar snarled, raking his offended gaze over the blonde. Paris was impressed by her, more then he would ever let on, she merely raised a cool eyebrow and turned the full force of her stare upon him, she looked like a professor conducting a seminar or an executive addressing her board members. Again the image of a afternoon rumble over her desk entered his mind. "She is not even Katagaria!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ariel felt sweat coat her palms as for the first time in almost seventy years she came face to face with one of her would be murderers. The lion before her was condemning his own daughter to death and it did not even surprise her, as he had once held her down and let his brother attempt to slit her throat, so used to committing such acts was he that he didn't even recognise her as the one that got away.

She kept her mask inscrutable while inside her chest her heart was hurting as it worked overtime to combat her sudden rush of fear, she masked it expertly and held herself straight and proud. Her eyes raked over him, Aldo Fernandez, brother of Ramirez Fernandez, he hadn't changed much over the years. He still had a thick mop of brown hair and beard covering his rugged face that was so much like his brother, his genes were strong in his son who looked very much like his father and uncle, except he was younger, his face unlined and unscarred, his eyes troubled but not full of anger or hate. The Katagaria jaguar spoke and she forced her eyes away from Aldo who was still trying to figure out who she was.

"This cub is not rabid," Ariel insisted. She turned to Aldo once more and looking past him she forced herself to speak politely to his son, making her voice calm and reasoning.

"You said she was feral, what would make you say such a thing?"

The boy hesitated again but when he spoke it was with certainty. "When she was a cub she was alone a long time … and when she was going through puberty no one helped her, she was just left to her own devices. She still doesn't know how to talk or act as a human when in human form."

He looked away blushing, "I'm ashamed to admit that I did not move to help her, and when I did realise that she needed assistance she was too far gone."

"Why, in the name of Artemis, was she left so long on her own?" Ariel demanded, unable to keep her voice neutral. "Why was she left alone!"

The boy flinched and could not meet her gaze and the crowd unable to draw their eyes away from them now began murmuring in agreement.

"That is not the point!" Aldo cried, "why she was left alone was not the point! The fact that she is a danger to us all is the point!"

Ariel swung her desperate gaze to Savitar when many of the Arcadians who were willing to see Katagaria blood shed at any price made noises of agreement.

"Just because someone is feral does not mean they are rabid!" Ariel knew that the animals and humans around her were baffled by her defence of a Katagaria, but she was after all her niece of sorts. Feeling as though she was fighting for her life she raised her voice over the many others.

"She has not been taught any of the fundamental rules of our society, anything that is wrong with her is her family's fault not hers. She has been left unaided and uncared for, the only lessons she knows have been dictated by her environment and the innate predatory instincts she was born with. She acts like a lioness but that's not what she is, not really. She is a Were."

She forced her voice to take on a tone of pride knowing it would subconsciously create a sense of unity among them all for a moment, so there would be no offence felt when she differentiated between animals and Weres.

"Her brain and thoughts and her emotional configuration even are more complex then that of a mere animal, yet all she has to rely on are her animalistic instincts. Instead of guiding her through her turbulent years of puberty she was left helpless and alone! If there is any crime here it is against her! If anyone should be on trial it should be her father! If you suffer this young cub to be left to teach herself the laws of the jungle … surviving the only way she knows how, then to throw her into a trial to be executed, what else is to be concluded other then that you are murderers?"

After her voice rang a silence so filled with tension Ariel felt it almost tangible, her aunt Leona had once compared her to Hitler in her oratory talents. Suddenly the tension was broken by the sound of clapping, slow and deliberate Aldo brought his hands together mocking her as he stepped closer, his daughter began to stir but one of her captures yanked the chain to keep her still.

"Absolutely charming," he sneered, "but what you forget human is that I have at least three witnesses here who will swear to her being insane with the trelosa!"

Ariel did not let her calm façade slip for a moment, she merely raised an eyebrow and said in a icy voice that caught everyone's ear. " And I thought animals didn't lie."

Aldo gave a lion like roar and pulled his hand back that changed into a lions paw with its lethal claws extended, quite suddenly a streak of gold obscured Ariel's vision as a man stepped in front of her and caught Aldo's paw. The Omegrion drew a breath as a whole and the man before her yanked Aldo close by the collar of his shirt.

"Do not think to harm anyone here, ass wipe," he growled menacingly, "or I'll break that paw!"

Ariel stepped back when the man threw Aldo from him in disgust, and then turned to saunter back to his seat.

"While we all loved to see Paris playing the hero," Savitar said with a definite laugh in his voice, "I think its time to put this to the vote. Animals. Humans. If you will."

"All who find the lioness in question guilty raise your hand," the lion named Paris growled, sounding wild, Ariel felt a shiver run through her. None of the animals present raised their hands, a smattering of humans did and to the surprise of all, Damos, the Arcadian Drakos rep spoke up.

"I think the case of this young lioness's innocence was represented well, by -" he looked pointedly at Ariel and she jerked out of her stupor.

"Ariel S-Sophronia," she stuttered and Damos inclined his head respectfully before he continued.

"By Miss Sophronia here. It would be a complete miscarriage of justice to sentence her, she should be acquitted."

"Is it then in agreement that the lioness, who by the way is named Aiyana, is innocent of the crimes brought against her?"

A murmur of agreement filled the hall rather reluctantly and Savitar waved a hand and the chains surrounding Aiyana vanished, she collapsed at the unexpected removal of the weight, she lay on her side panting heavily. Ariel stepped forward but her father cut off her path and Ariel, who had kept her anger under strenuous control heard it splinter slightly.

"Don't touch her!" he growled, hating the fact that a human bested him, Ariel raised a mocking eyebrow and spoke loud so the hall could hear.

"You think this council is stupid enough to deliver a innocent cub into your care after you tried your hardest to have her murdered."

Aldo looked as if he were about to say something else when a look of recognition crossed his face, "you!" he muttered furiously but quietly.

Ariel leant forward so only he could hear her and whispered, "me."

"What then do you propose, Ariel?" Savitar asked, his ever present mocking grin in place, Ariel took a deep breath.

"That she be given in to my care."

There was an instant uproar the Katagaria shouting just as much as the Arcadians, it was only when the Katagaria panther called for order did the noise level drop low enough for individuals to be heard, Ariel almost wished they were shouting again.

"You are Arcadian!" Anelise cried, in shocked disgust, "how can you take a animal into your house? What are you going to do? Keep it as a pet?"

Ariel had taken an intense dislike to the snow leopard and it only increased with her looking at Ariel like she were defected.

"No," Ariel argued back, her reasonable voice wavering with her anger. "She will be a guest in my home, I'll provide for her, teach her to use her powers!"

"Why would you do such a thing?" Nicolette Peltier asked more curiosity then animosity in her tone.

"Why not?" Ariel countered, feeling like she were the one on trial. "Someone has to. If she is left alone again she will become the very thing her father named her. If not me, who else?"

"She could go to a Limani," Dorian, a black haired Arcadian Pardalia spoke up, they were an exotic Arabian cat, Ariel couldn't help being impressed she had never seen one before.

"Who's? Yours?" Ariel was getting tired of defending herself, she could feel the lioness in her pacing and snarling, wanting to attack those that would not give her her own way. "Your Arcadian you won't train her. Dante -' she looked at the panther who jumped and looked around guiltily - 'you have your own family to care for, you've just had a litter of cubs you couldn't do it."

Ariel turned her eyes on Nicolette Peltier, the renowned and respected bear, but Ariel had never been scared of someone's reputation, she was fast building her own.

"No offence, Nicolette but look what you tried to do to the last wayward cat that came to your sanctuary, I mean by all account he's lucky to have his hide intact."

Nicolette's mouth thinned and Dante, Paris and a few others stifled laughs behind coughs.

"That's a thought where is Wren?" Fury called out, and Ariel turned to him with a disbelieving stare that he could ask such a flippant question at a time like this.

"Maggie's just dropped her first," Savitar informed them all, idly stroking his goatee, "little girl .."

Ariel cleared her throat bringing the attention back to the issue at hand.

"You're a traitor to your blood," Constantine, the Arcadian jackal sneered at her and Anelise nodded beside him, Ariel felt her face grow warm as people looked at her with disgust.

"I'm not a traitor to anything I just know what's right and I will never let an innocent die because your too pig headed to see past your petty prejudices!"

Constantine roared and Ariel gave her animal side a little leeway and roared back, it appeased the lioness in her immensely and Constantine sat back in his chair shaken.

"While your sentiment is admirable," the Arcadian bear Leo spoke next in a wheezy voice, Ariel suppressed a laugh, he looked like father time he was so old. But his voice was kind and she liked him for it. "You are new on this council and your title is yet to hold no real influence to over throw a council decision if we feel you are not to be in charge of this young cub."

Ariel's liking for the old bear went down the drain and she had to talk through clenched teeth in effort to hold the reins on her temper.

"I have been afforded the honour of sitting upon the council, whether or not I am twenty-two or a hundred and two I should be given the rights that everyone here is given. My opinion here perhaps matters more then most as she is after all a lioness!"

"I will not stand for -" Aldo began to say but Savitar threw him against the wall.

"You have no say in this, you little punk!"

Ariel looked around at the many hardened faces and was tempted to give a weary sigh, but that in itself was a sign of weakening.

"Let Aiyana decide if she wants to go back to her father," Ariel said with a shrug, "I only want to help her but should she not wish for it there is nothing I can do."

Savitar leaned forward from his throne and pointed at Paris, "you speak lion, come and ask her."

Paris pursed his lips and gave a nonchalant shrug and flashed himself to the Aiyana's side, he bent to her but watched Ariel under his lashes. She was fascinating, the way she spoke, the passion she showed … and he had thought her cold! And then that roar she let out, this was a lady he would gladly claim as his own - if he were the claiming type that was!

Paris shook himself and bent to the lioness, he winced at the sight of her wounds, the dejected hurt look in her young eyes, Paris wholeheartedly agreed with Ariel, her home was the best place for this little cub.

Ariel felt her breath catch in her lungs as she got a chance to look at Paris. His hair was a few shades lighter then her own and brushed the top of his collar in rebellious curls. Six feet tall in biker boots, worn black jeans and a black leather bikers jacket, Ariel licked her lips as she spied his bare chest through the jacket opening. His heavy chest muscles were covered in succulent tanned flesh and dusted with blonde hair that was lighter then that on his head. As he lowered himself to the floor he took off his glasses and revealed beautiful molten golden eyes beneath sinfully long lashes. Forcing herself to breathe again, Ariel found herself looking anywhere but at this man, he so wasn't her type … even if he wasn't Katagaria.

Paris stood back up and let out a long breath, he fixed his gaze on Ariel who had brought her eyes back to him expectantly, however she didn't completely meet his gaze.

"She didn't say much, she says she doesn't want to go back to her father though."

Paris watched Ariel throw a triumphant, shit eating grin at Aldo Fernandez, there was something about her under that completely sophisticated and chic exterior was this adorable, down to earth girl the lion in him was completely drawn to. Well hell! He was drawn to her on every level.

"She did not say anything about going with Ariel then?" Vane asked and Paris just shook his head, watching Ariel closely, her face was once more stern and emotionless, though he had a feeling that behind her eyes her mind was working over time.

"W-what if," she began slowly looking up at Savitar, who seemed uncommonly obliging in letting the trial go on so long, normally he wanted out as soon as possible. "Someone - a Katagaria, I mean - acted as a … a custodian of sorts. A chaperone that could be an unbiased observer of how she is treated within my home and then could truly assess if she is mad with the trelosa and give a full report back to the council."

She spread her hands wide as if encompassing them all and Savitar held out his hands with a expression as if to say, its not up to me ask them. A fleeting look of impatience with the ancient mediator past over Ariel's face, Paris couldn't suppress a smile, there was something innately good about this woman. Well, it seemed that way but in truth no Arcadian was truly trustworthy and good. All were capable of deceit and lies, she was no different, what could she possibly gain though, Paris wondered to himself, his eyes drinking her in, from taking in this Katagaria cub as a ward?

"It's a good idea .." Dante admitted somewhat reluctantly, stroking his chin thoughtfully, then his gaze sharpened as it rested on Ariel. "You must really want this cub if you are willing to let a Katagaria into your home."

Ariel's face if it were possible became harder and colder, Paris felt it like a blast of cold air and he was sorry for it. She was adorable when she smiled … He shook his head and forced himself to concentrate.

"I assure you, panther, should any Katagaria come into my home and try to fuck with me or mine, he or she would not make it out again." She said it loud and defiantly, as much a warning as a statement to all the Katagaria present, all of whom were candidates for being the chosen chaperone.

"Very cocky," Paris smirked and she turned on him, spinning on her heels to face him with a saucy swish of her ass.

"I'm not cocky," she said with a mirthless smile, "just capable."

Paris felt as if all the blood in his body had centred in his groin and he was a nanosecond from exploding, Paris licked his lips when she turned back to face Dante, who met his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"I can't see any problem with what she suggests," Vane said, "the cub gets a place to stay and she is looked after, as long is she is monitored and is not abused I don't see why the request shouldn't be granted."

Paris could almost feel Ariel's relief, however he also knew that most of the Katagaria present did not trust her and suspected an ulterior motive. He was suspicious of humans and Arcadians by nature yet he could not bring himself to condemn her on sight the way he normally would.

Ariel walked over to Aiyana and leaned down, murmuring soothingly to her in lion then she touched her paw and flashed them both out of the Omegrion, again that blast of noise from all sides made Paris wince and he looked up to Savitar wondering if he had the power to shut them the hell up.

"Don't tempt me, lion," he raised his voice to call to Paris over the din, Paris smirked and went back to his seat.

"We haven't chosen a chaperone yet!" The Katagaria jaguar called out.

"Well, I thought that would have been easy," Dante said with a grin, "Paris can be the cubs keeper."

Paris past a hate filled look to Dante who's eyes were alight with silent laughter. "Why me?"

"Because you're a lion," Fury grinned and at that moment Paris knew the wolves and the panther were in this together.

"Yeah, but I also have a life!"

"You don't have to live with her or anything, she'd likely chop off your balls for suggesting it. Just check up on them a few times a week," Vane piped up, his lips twitching.

"No!"

"Shut up, Paris, you've been drafted," Savitar said, he just looked as if his birthday and Christmas came all at once.

"Not you too!" Paris snarled and shoved his sunglasses back on, folded his arms and brooded miserably. "This isn't fair!"

Even he admitted he sounded whiny but damn it, why did he automatically get the job? Just because he was a lion, he thought childishly, its discrimination!

The wolves, Dante and Savitar erupted into laughter and Paris flashed himself out there and back to Ax.

Ax looked up as he walked in and grinned.

"Finally man, I was getting bored!"

Paris kicked the chair out from under the table and slumped in the seat, Ax raised an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?"

"I have to baby-sit a cub and a woman with a sexy ass."

Ax looked confused then shrugged. "Things could be worse."

"How? I have to track her because she didn't leave directions and then I have to go back there and give reports back to the council all because I'm a lion!"

"She could be Arcadian," Ax suggested trying to mollify him, Paris groaned loudly.

"She is."

Ax looked like he felt sick.


	3. Chapter 3

Paris was pissed off, seriously pissed off. He had spent all morning tracking this lioness, and either he was out of shape tracking wise or she was real good at covering her scent, neither explanation was very appealing but he admitted he was lax when it came to that skill. Women always came to him, not the other way round, he never needed to track! He sounded arrogant and that pissed him off too.

Paris stopped his bike and peered closely at the sign hanging atop some sort of make shift wooden gate, it was the entrance to what seemed to be a ranch of sorts, he glanced behind him, the road he had driven up ran for miles, all he could see when he looked over his shoulder was a vast region of land that ended at the horizon. He was hot and hungry and grouchy, sweat was trickling down his face and stinging his eyes and, he shifted on his bike and winced, he was hurting where a man should never hurt. He'd tracked her to New Mexico, Ax had offered to keep his bike safe but he couldn't leave it in his hands, he'd come back and find his prized Harley with no wheels or something. The road after the gate wasn't as long as the one he had just came down, in the distance a black spot that his perfect eyesight knew was a huge manor house, perhaps he should just leave his bike here and flash himself to their porch. He would be out of the sun and it was hardly going to get stolen, this place was harder to find then the key to fort Knox.

Paris sighed and got off his bike, he cupped himself through his jeans grimacing and hating Ariel Sophronia more then ever. She had messed things up for him several different ways, not only did have to interrupt his life to go chasing after her because she wanted to play hero to some psychotic cub and because she was so good at hiding her scent it had taken him a week, also when he got back to the shitty bar in Arizona and went to find himself the pouty brunette she had waited for him at the bar for so long that she had drunk her way through several bottles of Jack Daniels and didn't remember her name. Oh and then, as the list continues, he went to find himself some nice chick with a gorgeous body to spend some lonely hours with and when he was talking them into the mood all he could think about was a tall blonde lioness and the way she roared. So now he was sweaty, grouchy, hungry and horny, what could be worse?

"Savitar I curse you," Paris muttered to himself before flashing to the front porch of the manor house, he sighed before rapping lightly on the door with his knuckles.

Ariel had been sitting with her aunt and cousin all morning and felt bitchy, rather then insult anyone which she was likely to do if she opened her mouth she chose to simply watch her family as they moved about the kitchen. Since lions were creatures native to several different countries no human alive would believe that the woman in front of her was her aunt, Faraa had the smooth flawless skin the colour of coffee, her beautiful almond shaped eyes were a lighter brown, almost hazel and were fathomless with their wisdom but also their kindness. She wore a long, white dress that complimented her beautiful skin tone and her long black braids were wrapped up atop her head in a beautiful red, silk scarf. Smooth and unlined though she was Faraa was nearly five thousand years old, she was her paternal uncle's mate and Ariel's aunt by marriage but she loved her aunt who had become a substitute mother. Ariel looked down at the lion cub at her feet that was cleaning her paws and felt a rush of sympathy towards her, Aiyana. Poor, sweet Aiyana. It hadn't taken Ariel particularly long to get the cub to trust her, she found that Aiyana was mostly vicious since she was so hungry and though still very cautious over the week she had improved with a speed that Ariel had to marvel at.

There was a smash of glass from behind them and with a grimace Ariel looked over her shoulder at Ly, her cousin from her maternal aunt. Again the difference in their family resemblance was shocking. Ly or 'Little one' as she had called herself from a child and therefore been called it ever since, was a petite, beautiful woman who looked barely out of her teens, she was in fact one hundred and eleven which in were years was still practically a whelp. Ly had typical oriental hair and features, her sleek silky black hair swung down to her waist and she usually wore it on a side parting with a lovely white flow tucked behind her ear, today the flower was pink.

"Tell me you didn't just break my best china cup!" Faraa said sharply, her lightly accented voice somehow making Ly cringe even worse. Ly rubbed her hands nervously over her jean clad thighs and cleared her throat, Aiyana who had raised her head to snarl at the noise also ducked when Faraa spoke.

"I didn't mean to!" Ly whined, she rubbed herself very feline like along the counter top and Ariel cringed, her head was beginning to pound.

She knew what was making her aunt so cranky and her normally rather graceful cousin so clumsy, it was why she herself had not left the house and was also feeling irritable. The female lions were in heat. She hated this time of year! That's why the house was so empty, there was normally always at least five of her family members running around the house, however they disappeared for three days during mating season and weren't seen again until it was over. Usually strolling in looking pale with shadows under their eyes but none the less looking satisfied. Another perfectly good reason to hate this time of year, she was always edgy and in need of desperate relief, but Ariel had her own reasons why she refused to mate with anyone and though they were common knowledge in her family, they were her own.

Faraa looked at the clock again and gritted her teeth she was waiting for her mate Ariel's uncle Theo to come home. He was away on business and Ariel was sure he'd get a great welcome home present with his mate in such a state.

Ly was staying in the house for reasons that completely escaped Ariel.

"Dammit!" Ariel cried when Ly who was clearing away the cracked cup and managed to knock the bin over in her attempt, Ariel unclenched her fist and exhaled then with a more patient tone. "Can you not go and find Charlton or something?"

Ly gave her a disgusted look. "His name is Carl! Carl." she said slowly and deliberately then with a snarl. "How hard is that to remember, Gods you piss me off! And for your information, Carl is human how would he stand three days of this, he'll think I am some kind of nymphomaniac! And just for the record, your both feeling the effects of the season so don't keep picking on me. Mind your beeswax!"

Ariel hated that saying that her cousin had used since she was a child, it was in fact older then her nickname, Ariel ran her tongue over the edge of her teeth that were itching to bite into something. She eyed Ly contemptuously and Faraa let out a disgusted breath and with delicacy picked up a fine china cup and sipped her herbal tea.

"Kill her," her aunt said in a casual but un-amused voice, "or I will."

Ariel gently patted her chignon and blew out a breath abruptly getting up from the table when she heard the sound of breaking glass behind her, without looking at Ly's latest destruction she muttered that she was off to bed. She was halfway up a grand white staircase when she heard her aunt growl and the slap of a kitchen cloth being thrown on the counter, then Ly's indignant voice.

"I'm going to Carl's house! I can't stand this!"

"That makes two of us," Ariel breathed and continued all the way to her bedroom.

Once she closed the door she pulled her hair down and rubbed her aching skull with her fingertips, she lay down on her bed and tried to think of something, anything non sexual. It was hard when she thought of just what she had been doing if her own mate had been here, however Ramirez Fernandez was not and she would not wish it to be so. Though there were times such as when she was in season that she craved a mate not just for the sex, and that was mind blowing, but for the intimacy after it when you were mated.

Ariel blew out a tired breath and with her mind turned on the over head fan, her light flimsy pale pink skirt was unbearable brushing against her sweaty, ultra sensitive skin. Ariel couldn't take it and magically tripped down to her bra and panties, it was funny, she thought, that she only became concerned with her nakedness after she had lost her mate. Perhaps it was because she had always felt that with her mate she could be uninhibited and without one she found all her old inhibitions coming back. Ariel gritted her teeth and shook her head. She needed no one but her family! She needed no mate! And with that like an act of defiance against herself maybe she stripped off the undergarments and repeated the words she had promised herself the day Ramirez died.

"I need no mate, I will never have another lover for I know longer wish to have a mate or ever potentially have one, especially not Katagaria!"

She repeated it so many times that she fell asleep to it like a lullaby and instead of waking only minutes later worrying about things she should be taking care of, Ariel succumbed to hazy erotic dreams of a tall, handsome lion with golden curls a few shades lighter then her own.

Paris was startled when the door flew open and stepped back when a ferocious looking woman stood there, instantly he smelt the scent of lioness in heat and raised an eyebrow at her. He watched as she curled her lip.

"As if, little cub! I have my own mate, why would I want an animal!"

Paris let out a relieved breath, no wonder he wasn't trying to jump the slender black woman on the door step, it was easier to resist them if they were mated.

"Whatever Arcadian!" Paris growled back pushing his way into the house, "I'm here to see the Katagaria cub brought to your place by Ariel Sophronia."

The woman opened her mouth as if to curse him then shut it, she raised an amused eyebrow and Paris went cold.

"Shit she's in heat!"

The woman laughed evilly. "No lion, she isn't. She hasn't even gone through puberty yet, my niece was right, she was just feral, no trelosa. Just in need of a kind word, good food and a gentle touch."

Paris scoffed. "I'll be the judge of that."

Again the woman gave an evil laugh. "Of course, Katagaria."

The woman made as if to shut the door, locking herself out of the house, but before she did she paused and shot a measuring look at Paris.

"I'm going to find my mate Theo, can I trust you to behave yourself in my house?"

Paris shrugged. "Lady, I really do not want to be here, so if you don't mind just point me towards the cub and I'm gone."

The woman inclined her head, "she and Ariel are in the house somewhere, go find her."

And with that she closed the door, leaving him in a sunny hallway consumed suddenly by the scent of lioness in heat.

Paris felt himself harden to the point of pain and he reached down and rubbed himself through his jeans, he needed to get out of here! The smell as intoxicating and exciting, he licked his lips and walked through the hall way into a large den, he just entered the room when he saw the ends of a tail swish around a door leading out of the room.

Paris shot after it keeping a safe distance so he didn't scare the cub, following the progress of the tail that he caught glimpses of slinking out of doors and around corners.

"I've had enough of this shit! Come here!"

He launched himself after her in his lion form and sprang round the corner, down a passage and then came to the bottom of a staircase and stopped dead in his tracks. Paris was barely aware of Aiyana exiting the passage via some door or other, his mind was completely consumed by the scent of unmated lioness. He inhaled deeply and growled, a part of his mind, the sane part protested as his sleek, agile body loped up the stars. Seductive even in his animal form, Paris shook his wild mane and rolled on his back on the landing carpet, the aroma was pungent up here, seeping in to his pores and mind like an hallucinogen.

Paris crawled forward on his belly to a white, wooden door that stood open just enough so a sliver of the room and bed was visible. Paris flashed into his human form and lay crouched on the floor, his one eye visible, stalking his prey, he bit his bottom lip and released it slowly as he savoured the sight before him.

Ariel lay upon her bed completely bare to his gaze, her honey coloured skin complimented by the creamy sheets, she writhed and moved and arched her back as if agitated, waiting for her lover to come to her. Not bothering to cloth himself Paris stood up, pushed the door open and loped into her airy room. The warm breeze floated through the window of her attic type room with a sloping ceiling, the painted white floorboard lending a cleaner, more spacious look to the place and in the middle of the room was a four poster bed, laying on a quilt of white with red and yellow rosebuds stitched on it was a goddess. Her dark blonde locks unfurled around her shoulders and fanned over her pillow, her dark lashes lay like ebony crescents on her cheeks that were flushed.

Paris raked his gaze down her, taking in her full, plump breasts, her nipples hardened and pink, along her flat stomach, her leg was raised so all he could see was one long beautiful thigh that concealed from him her fair curls that he had glimpsed when he first entered the room. Her hands fisted in the duvet and she moaned as if pained in some way, Paris knew she was trying to ride out the mating heat on her own but now he was here there was no turning back, he had to have her. It was either that or death and he didn't want to end his life without tasting her first.

He watched as Ariel turned her head in his direction and open her eyes, he saw recognition there the moment before they darkened with a passion the likes of which he barely came into contact with and his body combust into flames. Having never wanted to be mated Paris had only selected humans for his lovers as a Katagaria and human could never mate, also women of his own kind were usually very inattentive and rough. Not to say that he didn't like it that way but he liked to vary his sexual positions, where as with Katagaria lions the male had to hold the female into submission on her stomach while he pleasured himself because it was likely she would kill him.

He'd only taken an Arcadian once before and the experience hadn't been a good one as they both ended up trying to kill each other anyway.

But this, this would be sweet.

Ariel made a purring noise and watched Paris kneel on her bed, felt it dip before he crouched over her his body hard and aggressive and completely male. A dusting of blonde hair ran from his chest to a small line that trickled down past his navel into honey coloured curls at his centre, his muscles rippled as he moved and positioned himself atop her, holding his weight up on his arms so he could look down on her. Ariel had no thought of why she should resist him, it was completely impossible, she just smiled up into his golden eyes before stretching out on forefinger and trailing it down his chest and stomach.

Paris hissed with pleasure and lowered himself so he was cradled in the shelter of her thighs, Ariel cried out and began instantly moving beneath him, rubbing herself against him, needing more. Paris laughed then lowered his head and traced her ear with his tongue whilst a hand cupped her breast, he kneaded and squeezed lightly before trailing it down her stomach.

Ariel moaned, her hands sliding round his hips then up his smooth back, feeling the muscles tense and flex beneath her palms.

"You shouldn't be here."

"You need me here," Paris replied, pressing kisses and scraping teeth down her neck, collar bone then to the fullness of her breast, Ariel gasped out a laugh.

"Not really, any man could do this," she teased and Paris growled wildly, biting harder on her lush flesh, he didn't like that she would mention another while he was with her, it set off the ire of the beast and Paris could not leash him. Paris caught both her wrists, her dainty wrists in one hand and held them above her head, his grip was bruising but Ariel laughed at him. She laughed while her eyes burned with intensity as she rocked her hips against his body, making herself gasp and writhe, begging for him to enter her. But Paris wouldn't oblige instead he tortured her by holding back, still pinning her under him he trailed one hand down to test her readiness, then pulled away and braced that hand against the headboard.

"I'll play with you later," he growled and thrust deep, Ariel screamed out climaxing immediately, Paris ground his teeth against the urge to release himself, but for some reason he wanted to brand himself into her mind, make sure she would never think of another whilst he shared her bed. Make her pine for him when she was with another. Paris was used to having to hold himself back when making love to human women, but the combination of the freedom of taking an Arcadian, and though he hated to admit it, his little jealousy, he moved inside her with reckless abandon.

There was no thought or sense, no logic and reason just pure head rushing feeling that had him using more force and strength on her body, it excited and delighted him that she matched him stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust. Biting him when he bit her, scratching when he finally let her hands free. He thrust, she cried out, he stiffened and she screamed, he roared and she purred. Paris rolled off Ariel, his mind temporarily out of action, he couldn't help smiling when she curled in to his side, purring and rubbing like a cat.

Ariel had no sense of what just happened, all she knew was that she hadn't felt the likes of this in all the years she had lived, even her experience with her mate hadn't ever included something as earth shattering as what she had just experienced. And, she thought with an evil grin, judging by the look on his face neither had he. She watched as he grinned and discreetly looked down to find him still ready for action, that was the beauty of having a were for a lover, they didn't tire until the sun went down and came up again, and even then they could carry on.

Paris hissed when Ariel leant up and bit gently on his nipple, he cupped her head in his hand, in fact his hand felt bigger then her head and Paris flushed as guilt washed through him when he remembered how brutal he had been with her delicate body.

"I was rough with you," he began but cut off when she growled, his entire body clenched as she leant up to nibble his lobe, her breasts flat against his side.

"Again," she breathed the demand before biting hard on his shoulder, Paris's smile belied his long suffering sigh.

"Well, if I must I must." Rolling her under him he took her again, and too lost in each other they let their voices rise and it floated out of the top window filling the summer evening with sounds of loving.


	4. Chapter 4

Paris lay on his side his head in his hand propped up on his elbow, Ariel lay opposite in the same position, both had insanely big yet lazy smiles on their faces. Night had fallen outside the window and Paris realised with a jolt of guilt that he had spent all day making love to his sexy lioness rather than talking about the young cub he had come here to see. Savitar would have his head for this. Oh well, he dipped his head down to taste her lips again, he would die happy. As if reading his thoughts, Ariel sighed once he had pulled back and bit her lip guiltily.

"We're going to be in trouble," it took a few moments for the words to sink in since her nibbling her lip was numbing his brain, Paris tore his eyes away from her mouth. "Have you even seen Aiyana today?"

Paris shook his head and placed his finger tip against a teeth mark on her breast, he looked up to find Ariel smiling at him, he grinned back.

"I saw her tail as she ran out the door, then you distracted me," he popped her lightly on her ass as mock punishment.

"In case you didn't notice pervert," Ariel laughed when Paris gaped at the insult, "you were peeking in my room. I had no control, you ravished me."

She had a playfully evil glint in her eye that Paris found so seductive, Paris looked down at the bite and scratch marks on his thighs, where she had … he grinned again in a self-satisfied way.

"I ravished you, huh?"

"That's right."

"My body says you did your fair share of ravishing yourself."

Ariel laughed and rolled on to her back where she stretched, her body felt so loose and used, sore and limber, though she would never have chosen to have sex in her right mind, the sated relaxed feeling made her thankful for Paris's timely visit. Who could have thought a Katagaria could be this good of a lover, she had known they were rough, Ramirez had always been so, but Paris was different. His bed play had varied in style and position, Ariel found herself blushing when she thought of the rough dirty sex they had to begin with and how exhaustion had taken its toll until she had rode him slow and easy to another release. Sated beyond anything she could have dreamed, Ariel realised, though she would not tell him so that he had spoilt her for other men, how could she ever have thought she could live without sex? Ly had thought her crazy and now Ariel fully understood why.

"I guess we should get up then," Paris suggested, though he made no move to, he was too comfortable laying here beside her, just looking at her made him burn for her yet there was something easy about her that allowed him to lie naked by her side just indulging in idle pillow talk. Something he realised he had never done. Paris wondered vaguely what she would do when he left or would she perhaps ask him to stay the next three days so she wouldn't be forced to endure the mating season without any release.

Or perhaps she would find someone else? Again that jealousy that shouldn't be there went through him, he had no claim to her, no desire to have one … not really. Paris pushed it out of his mind and focused on Ariel, her hair free and flowing over her shoulders made her look younger, somehow softer yet with her hair up as it had been at the omegrion she had been no less inviting. Her eyes were teasing as she lay beside him, they were not cutting and icy, they were warm and deep, seeing this side of her when he had first thought her a cold, unfeeling woman touched something foreign and tender inside of him. Made im feel special that she would show this side to him. Causing an ache that he had no origin for, no reason for. Paris pushed his hand through her hair and then brought a lock to his nose so he could inhale the scent.

"What are you doing?" Ariel said with a laugh, she drew her fingertip over the bridge of his nose and then traced his eyebrows, she pulled her hand away quickly when she realised she used to do the same thing with Ramirez. She used to sit there by the firelight tracing the lines and planes of his face, memorising his face, the fact she had done so with Paris, another Katagaria disgusted her, she bunched the duvet in her hand and allowed him to continue playing with her hair.

"Just remembering you," Paris muttered casually, he pulled her on top of him so she lay against his chest, he stroked her hair and back. "Its been quite enjoyable today. Its one of the things I will not mind remembering."

"Oh," Ariel muttered distractedly as she stared out of her window and watched the dots of light far in the distance that could be a star or an aeroplane.

"Oh?" Paris repeated indignantly, Ariel hid her smile before she lifted her head from his chest to meet his eyes with a bland expression, his brows were drawn in irritation.

"Err, yeah, oh."

"You think today was just 'oh'?"

"Well, you said it was only enjoyable," Ariel countered with a casual shrug and she and Paris stared at each other, she couldn't keep her lips from twitching. Paris laughed and slapped her bottom.

"Hey!"

"Don't even think about saying you didn't deserve that!" he cried laughing but rubbing the slapped cheek all the same. "I thought I was losing my touch!"

"Can't lose what you never had baby."

Paris growled threateningly but Ariel just laughed, it amazed him, no she amazed him. He was used to women literally begging him not to leave their beds, used to them crying and telling him he was the best they've ever had. It was slightly disconcerting to have Ariel act so blasé about what they shared, because he himself found their sexcapade today to be nothing short of staggering, it hadn't just been great sex it had been mind-blowing.

Paris also felt uneasy about the fact that he hadn't just got up and left her after the act, yet here he found himself, her snuggling up on his chest, sparing with her and he liked it. He liked a lot about her, he found her fun and witty … he found himself wanting to fall asleep in her bed, every time those thoughts came into his mind he pushed them out again, explaining to himself that he was tired, that he hadn't been in the company of lions for a long time and he had missed it. But deep down he knew that to be a lie, it had never bothered him to be in the company of his own kind, he had all the company he needed travelling with Ax. In fact he hadn't seen his own family for over a century and it made him wonder how Ariel lived with hers.

"Who leads your Pride?" he asked looking down at her, she lifted her head from his chest again her face emotionless.

"Why do you ask?" she said cautiously and for some reason that hurt Paris, after the day they had shared together, and it wasn't just each others bodies, they had talked and laughed in between their bouts of love making, it made him wonder whether it had been the same for her.

"I'm just curious, Ari," he sighed and looked bemused when she grinned, she shrugged.

"My family call me 'Elle', no one has ever called me Ari except you."

"Does it bother you?"

"No," she laid her head back on her chest, tracing circles on his muscles, Paris thought about questioning her again, but he didn't want her to freeze up so he was content to just hold her. He could feel himself drifting on a doze when a burning on his palm made him go cold.

Ariel didn't hiss like he had at the burning pain on his palm or draw up her hand to inspect what had caused it, she had felt it once before and a feeling of dread rose in her so strong that she jack-knifed off the bed and ran immediately for the hallway. Knowing she would run faster in her lion form she shifted and ran down the stairs, too panicked to realise she could flash herself from the house if she had to.

Paris was too stunned to think, all he could do was stand like an idiot for almost a minute while he watched the beautiful geometric symbol swirl into place upon his palm. When he was able to think again the first thing that went through his mind was: _your mated!_

It made him uncomfortable when he realised that he wasn't as upset about it as he thought he should be, Ax would have his balls for this. Then he looked around for Ariel and realising she had fled, he hissed out a breath and flashed himself downstairs, he barely registered he was in the kitchen when a full grown lioness came skidding in to the room. She pulled up dead in front of him and roared, but the smell of fear was rancid in the air, Paris stayed in his human form hoping to calm her down, he didn't feel like having to battle to the death when he had just found out he had been mated.

"Ariel, calm down," Paris said in a low placating tone, it shocked him that she would react like this, she had seemed so calm and collected and in control that he didn't even contemplate she would run. "Lets just talk, shall we?"

Paris pulled out a stool to the breakfast bar and sat down, he pulled one up next to him and gestured with his hand, the lioness stilled an instant before she changed back into a human, Paris was glad as he had tensed himself for attack. Ariel stood in the lioness's place, fully clothed in jeans, boots and a black shirt that was stretched tight across her breasts, her hair was once again tied backing a severe bun and her face was hard and unreadable. Paris saw this as an attempt to gain back control and put them on equal footing, however he noticed that she was frighteningly pale. He mentally kicked himself for noticing it and reprimanded himself straight away forcing the thought from his mind; your acting like her mate already!

"I'm sorry about that," she said in a firm voice that only shook slightly, she tried to muster up a smile but couldn't, "it was a knee jerk reaction."

"No problem."

It looked as if she was having trouble finding a job for her hands to do, they moved to smooth over her hair, they touched buttons, they smoothed down the fabric of her shirt.

"Would you like something to eat?" she was already turning to the cupboards, Paris felt his stomach rumble at the question but he pushed it aside.

"No," Paris said slowly, "baby, I think we need to talk. I think you need to come and sit down so we can talk."

Ariel became still, she lowered her hands from the cupboard to grip the edge of the counter, Paris watched her profile, she was beautiful and lovely. The fates had blessed her in terms of beauty. Ariel turned to face him but made no move to sit down next to him or move closer.

"Say what you have to say," she bit out, Paris saw her eyes flickering from him to the door.

"Okay, well erm -" What could he possibly say? He didn't exactly have a manual of etiquette for this kind of thing? Paris let out a sigh, he didn't have smooth words to calm the situation the best he could do is reduce her fear. And to think, he had always thought females wanted to be mated!

"Listen Ariel, this is unexpected and its unnerving to say the least," he began in calm tones, "but I want you to know you have nothing to fear from me. I won't hurt you."

She curled her lip in outrage. "I would kill you if you tried!"

Paris gritted his teeth, why was she so prickly? "Why are you so afraid? And before you give me the bullshit I can smell it in the air like mustard gas, so don't lie it just pisses me off!"

Ariel growled threateningly and Paris held his hands up in surrender.

"I have no intention of giving myself up to someone simply because the fates think I need another mate!" Ariel snarled, terror and anger beat at her insides until she wanted to curl up in a ball under the table in the farthest, darkest corner, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She was a full grown lioness now, not some callow cub, she had proved herself long before she should have, no one would threaten or control her life again.

"Another?" Paris asked, his brows raised in question, "you've been mated before?"

Ariel bit back a curse, if she could she would have kicked her own ass, in temper she had let slip a secret she had sworn to herself would not be let out. The shame of it! Even her family knew not to mention it in front of her if they wanted to live long lives. Ariel warred with herself against answering him.

"C'mon!" Paris said impatiently, "you've let it slip you might as well cough up the whole story."

"You don't need the whole story!" Ariel took a calming breath and Paris watched as a miraculous transformation took hold, she drew back in to herself, locking down her emotions and turmoil until there was nothing left but that icy exterior he had first seen on her. It was so quick that it was almost shocking, the air around him seemed to become colder in response to her sudden plummeting in emotion.

"I'm your mate," Paris said quietly, "I deserve to know as your mate."

"We can remedy that!"

Quick as lightening Ariel manifested a dagger in her hand and lunged for Paris who didn't move, Ariel was sure that he deliberately let her raise the cold blade to his throat and it shocked her, his lethal demeanour and skill as a fighter was palpable, why on earth hadn't he tried to fight her?

"So kill me," Paris gave a nonchalant shrug that brought the skin of his throat up against the blade, to his credit he didn't flinch at its icy feel. "By killing me you lose out on your only chance to have children and a family all because of your prejudice!"

"My prejudice?!"

"That's right your prejudice!" Paris spat at her surging from where she had him pinned, the momentum taking her into the wall opposite to pin her under his powerful body and look directly in her eyes while he snarled at her. "You think I don't get it? Because I'm Katagaria I'm unworthy, ain't that right? The horror of the situation to be mated to an animal, well get over it, sweetheart because whether you like it or not your one of us!" Paris gave her a little shove before pushing back from the wall to pace in front of her, running an agitated hand through his hair, his golden eyes flashing menacingly.

"You know it really makes me laugh," he said suddenly, not laughing at all.

"Yeah, this situation is so very hysterical!" Ariel growled back.

"I'm not talking about this situation! I'm talking about you, your kind! You think your so much better then us because what? You have a human heart? You know all that tells me is that I wouldn't trust you with anything because your all liars and cheats, that's something us animals aren't!"

Ariel felt her control snap and before she could stop herself she drew back her fist and slammed it in to the side of his head, then in the stomach and while he was bent double brought her arm down over his back. Paris went to the floor a little winded but more out of surprise then anything else.

"You arrogant - you piece of - you fucking -!" Anger seemed to have robbed her of breath and words and when Paris looked up he was shocked beyond belief to see a sheen of tears glimmering in her eyes and two sides of him were instantly at war. The vicious side, the sadistic side was happy to see them, _truth hurts doesn't it, bitch!_ He thought. While his other side hated him for causing her such pain, because even though her tears were probably caused by anger there was no doubt that underneath that he had hurt her.

"You self-righteous prick! We're the liars? We're the cheats? Oh yeah, but you animals you don't ever put a foot out of line, you're the most saintly of them all! Let me tell you something -" Ariel reached down and clutched a handful of his shirt and pulled him closer so she could sneer into his face and look into his golden eyes the way he had done to her. "You animals have no scruples and no principles. You have no problem killing your family as you would a stranger! Your own family! You would rip through the throat of your son or daughter or brother or mate because you know no such thing as forgiveness and reason! I was never hated until I met one of your kind who had no qualms about holding me down while he -"

Ariel sucked in her breath sharply and pulled back, she looked at the hand that had been gripping his t-shirt, her knuckles were red where the fabric had been so tight around them. Her movements were shaky and her breathing quick and shallow, she clenched her hand in to a fist and held it against her breast, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Ariel didn't know how to gain control again, her emotions were so volatile, she had almost let slip something that she had buried long ago.

Ariel opened her eyes to see Paris staring at her with a strange expression, it was almost wary, as well he should be, she thought savagely. If he thought she was crazy the less likely he would be to consent to mating.

"I think you should leave. Now."

Paris got to his feet and moved towards her only to have her backing up so quickly she stumbled, having to catch herself on the counter. Paris kept his hands to himself, he was desperate to know what was going on in her mind, in her heart, because at that moment with her looking so wounded and young he found his own heart tugging painfully.

"Baby, who hurt you?" Paris surprised himself how low and gentle his voice become even so she flinched as if he had shouted. He saw now that her tough cold exterior was no more then a façade, a defence against the world and he had broken it down, shattered it. He saw that now and it filled him with a deep self loathing he never would have expected an Arcadian would have produced in him. Ariel raised her watery eyes to his face and he watched her own harden, the lines becoming sharper.

"You." She said in a low, wavering struggle to keep her voice level, "only you."

How could he respond to that? Did he dare with her looking so vicious? Instead he let out a deep breath and walked over to the phone that was stuck to the wall, beside it someone had tacked a pad and a pen on a string.

"This is my number in case you want to reach me." He scribbled it down and wrote his name under it. "We'll need to talk eventually."

Ariel didn't even look at him as he strode past her, she hated that however much she detested his kind and the fact that they were mates, her heart astonishingly ached at the parting. A part of her wanted to tug at his hand in a silent plea for him to stay. Little did she know that she was not alone in her aching, for when Paris flashed himself to his bike he found himself wanting to ride it back up to the house.

So he could spend the night with her. His mate. Damn, he had a mate! He'd never thought to have one and now … he couldn't say what he felt. Only an approaching doom and feeling of dread if he didn't convince her to mate with him he'd never feel the touch of another woman again. Yet that didn't frighten him as it should, what was making him sick was the thought that he might not get a chance to touch Ariel again. With a despairing sigh he flashed himself back to Trey.


	5. Chapter 5

Trey sighed and shook his head as he watched Paris's reflection in the large mirror behind the bar, they had been in Arizona three whole days now and Trey was itching to leave, the place was all shit and dust, but his buddy was refusing to go. For those three whole days Paris had been waiting out the mating period so he could return to Ariel, and the boy had been a wreck, feeling the call of his mate in season was turning him in to an impotent hound dog so to speak. Trey was of the opinion that he should just turn up and screw her brains out but when did the lion ever listen? Never.

Not that Trey cared if his friend was walking around in a perpetual state of arousal with no way to sate it because it was one of the curses of that fates that they could never touch another woman other then their mates. What did Trey care if all the women in the bar thought Paris was in love with him because he refused to fuck any of them? He cared a lot. Especially about that last one. This whole mating business was sucking all the fun out of life.

Sighing he picked up the two shot glasses and walked over to Paris who was sitting at the table, his head in his crossed arms whimpering like a moron.

Paris didn't lift his head when Trey sat back at the table, he just slid his hand out and picked up the shot glass only drawing his head up to knock the stuff back, then he settled his head back down. That was the problem with human alcohol, it wasn't near strong enough to get him so shit faced that he could forget about the ache in his groin, the fact that he was mated and most horribly he was mated to someone with more issues then half the psych ward put together.

He sighed, okay, he supposed that wasn't exactly true but she did have problems and those problems could mean hell for him if he didn't sort them out. Paris turned his golden eyes up to Trey, red rimmed and half shuttered from lack of sleep and too much booze, even Paris who was not a vain lion, thought he needed some time to clean himself up. Trey paused with the glass half way to his lips then let out a disgusted curse and shoved the glass at Paris who knocked it back without a grimace.

"You know you're an alcoholic and you don't even know it," Trey muttered, folding his arms over his huge chest.

"Thanks Doc."

"Why don't you just go see her?" Trey demanded, his tiger eyes flashing with irritation, "preferably not smelling as bad as you do now 'cause I'm thinking she would likely keel over from the fumes."

Paris glared. "Your so not funny right now."

"Not to you, no. But then you've always underrated my wit." Trey paused when he got no come back of the crude or sarcastic kind. "Just go to her, man. You've wasted three days to win her over, your so running out of ticks right now."

"Ticks?"

Trey tapped the invisible watch on his wrist and grinned, Paris straightened and rolled his head on his neck.

"You think she'll see me?"

"Only one way to find out, my brother. Who knows you might be just what she needs."

Paris gave him a sceptical look, how the hell could he help anyone, when he had been running from responsibility since he had hit puberty and he hadn't been intending to let it catch up on him.

"Maybe …" Paris let the word hang between them before he stood up and walked into the bathroom.

****

Ariel stood under the scalding spray of the shower, opening her mouth she let the water stream in her, down her, washing away the remnants of three days of complete torture. In the years since the death of her mate, Ariel had ritualistically scrubbed herself to the point of being raw after the mating season was complete. Having to ride out the three days locked up and alone, feeling just about ready to go up in flames and to jump the first male she made contact with that wasn't blood related, always made her feel dirty. The need to scrub clean was essential for her piece of mind.

Ariel looked down and taking the soaped up exfoliation glove scrubbed savagely at her marked palm, she almost wept when she looked at it, raw and sore but still there.

Since she now had Aiyana to take care of, Ariel had been obligated to venture out of her room to help the cub, she found that being around Aiyana helped the cravings for her mate immensely. The total focus it took to be around the unpredictable feline left no space in her mind to think about Paris. Because she did think about him.

A lot.

She wanted him near her, with her, in her, surrounding her with his warmth. A woman, cat or not, needed once in her life to feel that warmth, the type you only got from being cuddled to a man's chest, surrounded by the subtle smell of his aftershave, his arms caging you in and the fabric of his shirt rubbing against your cheek.

Ariel made a noise of frustration as she found herself standing under the spray, daydreaming about it. Maybe it would be best to call him, but truth was all the good things about being mated didn't even effect the scales when being weighed against the shit that came with it. Paris's words swam round in her head, she would be giving up her chance to have children if she didn't mate with him, he was right about that. As far as she was concerned she already had a family but children … how many nights had she spent dreaming of being a mother. Too many. But did she really want to mate again after the first time and with a Katagaria? Birth children with one knowing their wild tendencies?

He was wrong about one thing though, it wasn't prejudice that kept her from wanting her to mate with him. It was a survival instinct that had saved her life all those years ago when Ramirez had tried to kill her, it was not going willingly into another trap. Once bitten, twice shy and all the rest of it … she was keeping her eyes well open for the bad guy. Whoever he may be.

Whatever Paris thought, she had a very real fear and a very real reason for her fear, he was the one who was prejudice. When she thought of the garbage he had spouted the other day about humans it made her blood literally boil. How dare he!?

Ariel was under no illusions about her race in general but neither was she blind to the cruelty of animals. The Katagaria liked to believe they only killed to survive but she had first hand experience in why they would kill, in how they would kill. Ariel was out the shower and used her powers to clothe herself. No, she thought, running a hand over her hair that was tied in a French plait making sure nothing was out of place, she would not mate with him; her Pride could not afford to lose her. She would not be mated and living out the next few centuries of her life afraid to fall asleep in case she didn't wake up. No, it was much better this way. Ariel nodded at her reflection and went off to find Aiyana.

****

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Paris waited for the echoing of the door bell to fade before he lifted his hand to press again. As he did the door flew open and on the other side of the threshold was a very petite Asian woman. Her dark eyes scrutinized his entire body before they flashed wickedly when meeting his gaze, she touched the petals on a white flower in her hair.

"So you're my cousin's mate, huh?" she said in a peculiar tone as if she didn't think he was much of a match for her cousin.

"Erm, yeah, is Ariel in?"

The petite woman snorted loudly and gave a nosy laugh before calling over her shoulder, though never taking her eyes from Paris who had an urge to run and check himself out in a mirror (the woman was making him very paranoid).

"Hey, people! There's a Katagaria male at the door asking for Elle, should I tell him to do one?"

Paris heard the breaking of glass and a ferocious growl, probably the head of the pride, Paris thought, not that he cared, he didn't give a shit about any Arcadians … Except Ariel. The woman at the door laughed again and looked at Paris.

She stepped back to let Paris in the house, "you sure got everyone's fur rubbed the wrong way in here, lion. If I were you I'd take a few centuries of being impotent then walking in here."

There was another vicious growl and a scraping of claws along the floor, Paris raised an eyebrow and walked coolly in to the house before turning and giving the little lioness a level stare.

"You think I'm afraid of Arcadian males, little girl? Well, your wrong, very wrong."

To his surprise she merely giggled and met his stare with her own cocky one.

"Oh no, hun, that was just the females in there," she led him through a deserted hall towards a den where noises, laughter, growls and a stern voice all came to an abrupt stop, Paris glanced at the woman and she smiled maliciously, he had the urge to gulp and then run for the hills with his tail between his legs. Males he could deal with, but women were a whole other story for him. They loved him, they lusted after him, none had ever hated him before. For some reason he had a feeling this was all about to change. Just before she let the door swing open Paris heard his new friend whisper to him.

"They are gonna eat you alive."

The door opened and the room turned several pairs of feminine eyes on him, each holding their own unique gleam that told Paris if they had their way they would be trying to rip him to shreds right now. Paris scanned the room for Ariel, his face with a deliberately bored expression while inside he felt strangely vulnerable in front of these women. Not frightened or in danger but like each female judged him unworthy, he hadn't felt the likes of it since he was a callow youth and it angered him. Gritting his teeth against the irritation he spoke sharply.

"Where's Ariel?" he demanded and immediately the temperature in the room plummeted even lower. One woman stood up, a delicate blonde with a equally blonde little boy on her knee, she passed the kid to a lady to her side and stepping forward, fixed Paris with a chilling and suspicious look.

"You've no business here, Katagaria, your kind have done enough to one of our own, we'll not let her be hurt again!"

"Well, that's nice to know, but I don't plan to hurt Ariel. I want to talk to her."

"You'll not ever see her again let alone speak to her. Now be gone before you upset our young."

Paris growled and he saw some of the women tense out of the corner of his eye. "You think to keep my mate from me?"

Hissing and spitting like fat thrown into hot flames broke out amongst the human felines and the blonde woman actually cringed. When she spoke next it wasn't with scorn and contempt, her voice was rather pleading.

"Just leave. You've no place here. We protect our own and we won't let her be harmed again, you cannot be happy with an Arcadian as your mate. We're too different."

"No arguing that," Paris muttered under his breath then he spoke louder, "look, where is Ariel, I don't want to talk to you, there are things we need to discuss and you, lady, are wasting my time."

"Get out!"

"Leona?"

A feeling so sublime went through Paris that he barely bit back a groan, it was like a slipping into a bath of hot water up to your neck after being out in the bitter cold, it was a warm shudder, a heated breeze. So comforting and fulfilling was it that Paris felt the cat in him curl up and purr in peace. Turning Paris saw Ariel standing at the door, a lion cub poked its head tentatively round her legs and on seeing Paris quickly retreated, next to Ariel was the beautiful black woman he had met on the day of his mating. The black lady put her hands on her hips and gave the blonde a glare.

"Leona, did I not tell you if the lion turns up send him to me?"

"Faraa, do you think I would let him walk through the house unattended? He might soil the rugs -" Leona wrinkled her nose at Paris who curled his lip in disgust, typical Arcadians, he was about to retort when -

"Enough!" Ariel's voice rang out fierce and silencing the room, even Faraa did not open her mouth but gave her niece a wary look. Ariel shot a glare to the blonde woman then directed it to Paris, their gazes met and something sharp and sizzling went through Paris's whole body rippling a purr from him. Ariel's eyes softened slightly but instead of looking happy they looked haunted.

"Come with me, Paris. We need to talk, my office is just upstairs."

Paris passed a shit eating grin to the blonde woman and sauntered over to the open door, Aiyana ran up the stairs and Ariel backed up from the door to give him room. The little Asian woman waited on the other side also and was about to follow Paris and Ariel when Faraa grabbed her by the back pocket of her jeans and yanked her back.

"Ly, this don't concern you!" he heard Faraa say before the door slammed shut.

Ariel led him up the stairs and into an office, wooden panelled walls, lush green carpet, fire place, book shelves, it was very much what one would expect of a private study in a mansion. Yet for all is elegance for some reason Ariel didn't suit it, it was too masculine for her. Closing the door behind them she offered him the chair before the wooden desk and then walked round and sat behind it.

"This your office?" he asked and felt the colour rise in his cheeks, hadn't she just called it her office?

"Err, no actually," she answered distractedly and shuffled a few papers away into the desk drawers, "this is Lev and Sher's office, I'm just using it for something. By the way," she flicked her gaze up to meet his before she grabbed another few papers and walked over to the filing cabinet. "I apologise for my family, they're .."

"Insane?" Paris supplied then held up his hands in surrender when she cut him a cold look.

"Protective, was the word I was going to use but insanity isn't uncommon in our line."

Paris gave a small smile and watched with, he realised with a jolt, appreciation as she sighed, he watched avidly at the rise and fall of her shoulders in her silky purple blouse, felt the rustle of it against his skin. She turned then to face him, she looked dejected and strained, it made him want to gather her into his arms and shelter her, to kiss away the frown lines and replace the light in her eyes.

"I can't mate with you," She blurted out. Perhaps he had feared her saying this to him but in the back of his mind he was always assured that she would go through with it, they were Were-hunters it was what they did. They got the mating mark they mated, simple. Easy. Yet she said them and she meant them and Paris felt his very marrow grow cold.

"Do you realise what will happen to me if we don't mate?" Paris asked, he's voice deliberately calm and reasonable. "You do realise, I hope, that while you will be able to continue to have sex with anyone you wish for the rest of your life. I will have to be impotent for the rest of mine."

"It's regrettable -" Now that touched a nerve!

"Regrettable! Yeah, this whole situation is fucking regrettable! Me having to run after you because you want to play Florence Nightingale to a sick cub - me coming here when you were in heat, are you so selfish that you couldn't have warned me or told me to stay away!"

"How was I supposed to know you were going to turn -"

"Regrettable is me being mated to someone who hates me for something that's not my fault! Have you ever thought about what its like being a Katagaria lion, do you know what its like for us? For me? I have never sought to hurt you in anyway yet you show compassion to everyone else but me! To all but the one person who deserves a chance to show you I'm more then what you think of me."

Paris realised he was out of his chair and was shouting at her, her face was whiter then marble and like marble was utterly still and unreadable. All for those eyes, those blue eyes spoke volumes, shouted out pain, called out for comfort, roared with anger and howled for some peace. What did she, Paris wondered, read in his eyes? Rubbing his hands over his face he looked back up at her, a single, solitary tear escaped her lashes and glided smoothly down her cheek, in a quick motion she got rid of it and her face was as if it had never been there.

"I am sorry for your pain, Ariel, I really am and I would take it from you if I could. But I didn't cause it - and I didn't ask to be your mate … Just like I didn't ask to be Katagaria, like I didn't ask to watch over Aiyana."

He got no reply so he carried on even though his throat felt a little swollen but he had to make her understand what she would take from him.

"And you didn't ask for whatever happened to you and you didn't ask for me to be your mate but I am. The fates have played us off against each other, can you imagine the time they had tying my life thread and yours together knowing how explosive it would be?"

He was relieved to see her eyes lighten briefly and she choked out a laugh that was distorted by tears she could no longer hold back. Paris smiled too.

"What d'you say we play them at their own game? Eh, me and you show them that we can make this work?"

Ariel pressed her lips tightly together, he looked so beautiful and sincere standing there literally begging for a chance. And Gods on Olympus how she wished to give it to him, but it wasn't that easy. If someone had told her Ramirez was going to try and kill her when she had first mated with him, she would have torn their throat out just for daring to speak ill of her mate. No one, animal or human was ever what they seemed and animals were unpredictable - how could she ever trust him?

"You have no idea how much I want to say yes to you, Paris -"

"Then say it!"

"Its not that simple."

"Why?" Paris snapped and it took all her control not to wince at the pain in his voice. "Am I so repulsive to you? I may have got the signal wrong then 'cause I was of the impression when I had you moaning under me, you liked me quite well!"

That snapped her sympathy cord there and then, it was something crude and nasty that Ramirez would have said, Ariel felt her head snap back on her neck and her heart shudder as it was once more encased in ice. Paris seemed to realise his error and regretted his lapse in temper and patience as he run a miserable hand over a grim face.

"That was wrong of me -"

"Get the fuck out," Ariel said calmly but with all the contempt she could muster, she let her voice blast him like a wind of bitter cold. "We are done here."

****

Paris materialised outside the front door of the manor house and sucked in the fresh air, he'd wanted to run like a scared school boy from her frigid glare but he had merely nodded and walked out of the door then flashed outside.

He was just so angry and confused and … well, damn it, he was hurt! Gods, didn't that make him sound like a complete girl, someone might think he was taking hormones if he kept this shit up. But truth was he was wounded by her rejection of him and he had wanted to wound her back just as deeply. You would think as a lion patience would have come natural to him, stalking prey and catching them took patience and the right moment to strike. Yet he had fucked that up on so many levels, he had jumped to gun so many times then struck with deadly precision at exactly the wrong moment.

Hell, this wasn't like going hungry and where your next meal was coming from, it was more serious then that, the fact that you will never feel another female as long as you live would tend to throw you off your game.

His actions justified to himself, he still didn't feel any better, he stared at the door until he heard someone behind him.

"That's him, Theo, the one I was telling you about."

Paris looked round and saw Faraa tugging at the hand of a tall, lean man in a well cut business suit, the man surveyed Paris for a moment with steely eyes which Paris returned in kind, then Theo sighed.

"She told you no, didn't she, son?"

Paris was so shocked at the almost fatherly kindness in the man's tone that he nodded mutely, Paris sniffed, the man was definitely Arcadian …

Theo cursed under his breath and took a cigar out of his breast pocket, he offered it to Paris who took it impressed by the man's expensive taste, that he himself also liked. Raising the cigar and inclining his head with thanks, Paris lit up. Theo was about to follow suit when he caught Faraa's glare.

"Maybe its not something to feel so unhappy about," he grumbled and put his own cigar away, Faraa growled and told him if that's how he felt he knew where the door was.

"Woman, you know you can't live without me so be quiet," Theo said it mildly but Faraa quietened though her lips twitched when she looked away. Theo smiled also and gestured with his hand for Paris who had watched their scene with a twinge of amusement, to sit with him on the porch chairs.

Theo tugged up his trousers at the knee before he sat and leant his elbows on his knees, Paris unconsciously mirrored him so that their faces were not so far apart, Theo's green gaze bored into Paris' gold one.

"So you're the mate to Ariel, eh," Theo murmured, "and our girl turned you down."

Paris nodded flicking ash from the cigar.

"So?"

"So what?" Paris was bemused and Theo snapped at him.

"What are you going to do about it?!"

"What can I do? She doesn't want me, when we get near each other all we do is fight, its hopeless."

Paris hadn't let despair overwhelm him until that very moment, he had thought of forcing her to accept him, beat her into submission. But he knew for one thing he couldn't do it, it was at odds with his very nature, and two the mating ritual could only be completed if the female accepted the male into her body by her own free will, nothing less then that would ever constitute as binding.

Theo just chuckled and shook his head. "This isn't freakin' funny!"

"Typical Katagaria," Theo said fondly, "no real imagination."

"True," Faraa said nodding and smiling like her mate.

"What?"

"Have you not heard of the word: seduction?" Faraa tittered, "she's a woman not an iceberg, though sometimes its hard to tell the difference - she is easily melted."

Paris scoffed at that.

"Oh, its true, lion. The day she came home from the Omegrion she was lit up like a purdy little firefly, all glowing and talking about what had happened. She couldn't stop mentioning you, trying to sound all casual about it. You are the one that can melt her, Paris, you just need to unleash your hottest temperature on her, melt her down and soothe the burn. You feel me?"

Theo tilted back his head and growled in his throat, "I like it when you talk like that …"

Faraa gave him a knowing smile and scratched behind his ears, Paris grimaced at their play but his mind churned over the thoughts they had given him.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked suddenly and both Theo and Faraa pinned him with a serious stare.

"Because I want my baby girl to be happy again. You can make her smile, Paris, I know you can, more brightly then anyone else. She just needs to be shown how good it feels to be mated again."

Theo nodded beside her with a sad smile on his face and Paris had to know.

"I'm gonna try this then, for my sake just as much as hers. I think you can understand that I have a vested interest in making her happy again, if she falls in love with me … well, great, I guess. But right now, when I'm not feeling so friendly towards her, I'm thinking of me. Okay?"

Both said they understood him completely.

"Good," Paris said nodding, then licking his dry lips, "now I want to know all you can tell me about her first mating."

Faraa made a quick, half completed movement with her hands, a nervous gesture betraying her shock and apprehension. Theo however, remained motionless and blank faced, then stroking Faraa's hand thoughtfully asked. "How do you know about that?"

"She let it slip while we were fighting."

"Uh huh."

"I have the right to know," Paris growled, his old impatience gnawing at him, Theo nodded but said.

"Do we have the right to tell you though?"

"Probably not. But since Ariel won't tell me, you'll have to, I need all the ammo I can get if I'm gonna make this work, so I suggest you spill it, otherwise you've just wasted my time."

Paris didn't feel bad about being so abrupt to the couple but he wished he didn't have to be, he liked them, they truly had good hearts and their only interest was in helping their niece.

"I like him," Theo blurted out suddenly, Paris grinned devilishly.


	6. Chapter 6

Supplied with two bottles of tequila between the three of them Paris sat around the back porch this time around a small traditional English garden table, Paris smiled with wry amusement, no scones and tea here. The tequila couldn't get them drunk but each enjoyed the harshness of the burn on the back of their throat.

Theo fiddled with his glass and smiled as Faraa shot her own glass and laid it on the table with a grimace. "That's my girl," he murmured before turning his solemn eyes on Paris.

"Where to begin .." he sighed.

"At the beginning, where else?" Paris said, eager to find out all about Ariel, some part of him he acknowledged liked the thought of knowing all her intimate details, knowing it would piss her off, it was beneath him but he was still angry at her. Besides what could precious little human wannabe like Ariel have in her past that was so bad.

Everyone has pain, an unbiased, reasonable voice in his head said but he ignored it and pushed Theo to carry on.

"When Ariel was young, Paris, and understand she was very young, practically just out of puberty she was sent out with her sisters of the pride on a hunt."

Theo sighed and Faraa hiccupped and her eyes were a little weepy, Theo rubbed her cheek and then laced his fingers together, staring at Paris who felt a sense of foreboding creeping along the back of his neck.

"It was just a routine hunt. You know how it was back in the days, all the girls were sent out just to learn the ways. Ariel was always rather fiery … rambunctious perhaps would be a better word."

Paris found it hard to reconcile the image they painted of a young Ariel with the woman he met but he let it go in silence. Against his will he imagined her as a young girl, her hair falling wild about her and the image of the two of them entwined on her bed, making love in the dappled sunlight of her bedroom.

"Anyway … Ariel got lost from the group and she stumbled into a pride of Katagaria lions. Back in those days we lived out in the Savannah, it was more isolated from civilisation there … no tourists."

Paris smiled slightly, many of the were-hunter lions had escaped from Africa because the sudden popularity of safaris.

"They lived on the other side of our grassland, they never bothered us and we never bothered them. We avoided each other so much that some of our kind believed that the Katagaria rumour to be nothing more then a myth to keep the children from wondering and meeting any real lions before they were full grown. But Ariel found them."

Theo looked so sad, Faraa sniffed delicately and patted his forearm, he sighed heavily and resumed speaking in low dead tones, not meeting Paris's eyes anymore.

"We have no idea what went on, she says they did not rape her and we believe her. For when they allowed her back she was mated, she was ecstatic. At first we refused to allow her to live with him, but she ran away to him. For one whole month we heard nothing from her. You're a lion, Paris, you know what it does to a pride to have one of our number unaccounted for, it threw us into chaos.'

"The leader of the pride then was Ariel's foster father, he was her father's best friend and vowed to care for her after her father died, Ariel's mother was bonded to her father so she had no choice really. Anyway .. I'm going off track, Roken the leader of our pride went out to look for her. He came back saying that she looked a little pale and thin but very happy … but he was worried. On his questioning her he found that her mate was not teaching her how to adequately control her magic. He went back one last time to try and persuade Ariel to come home and that time he didn't come back. Roken was killed trying to kidnap Ariel."

"If she wanted to stay with her mate -" Paris began heatedly but Theo cut him off.

"It wasn't because he was Katagaria, idiot! Roken over heard Ramirez talking to Ariel, he was shouting at her and he heard the sound of a slap and he went berserk."

"How do you know this?" Paris asked skeptically.

"People like to believe they won't talk under torture but its never the case," Theo replied insidiously, Paris inclined his head.

"Ariel never knew of Roken's murder until after she came home. That only happened when one night she lay sleeping, believing her mate was outside talking to his brother, she woke up just as Ramirez and his brother stood over her, his brother holding her down while Ramirez was about to slash her throat with a blade. It is miraculous to believe that she fought them and won. At such a young age, she killed her mate and his brother, or so she thought, then came home to us. To this day she hates herself for leaving us for her mate, blames herself, her guilt is all-consuming."

Theo frowned at the table as if trying to find answers from it. "She is so changed."

"The woman you know is not the girl we remember," Faraa said touching the napkin under her eyes.

Paris scrubbed his hands through his hair, shit! He could now understand her reluctance, he just hoped he hadn't understood too late, perhaps he could still repair the damage. He was burning with anger at the injustice done to his mate, what kind of lion had she mated with that would treat her like that?

He could see now why she was so scared and so scarred, she had been betrayed by someone she was blindly in love with.

"Why did he try to kill her? Ramirez, why did he hate her so much?"

Theo smiled sadly and sighed. "As always the way, he hated her because she was Arcadian."

Paris felt a little sick, the urge to groan and bury his head in his arms nearly overwhelmed him, he had accused her of being prejudice, of hating him for being Katagaria when she had suffered so much at the hands of one. Then to be mated to one again … Gods of Olympus how was he going to work this one out.

"So did you take over from Roken?"

Theo blinked as if coming out of a stupor then shook his head. "Don't you know? Ariel is leader."

It was Paris's time to blink with surprise. "How? She's female!"

"At the time of Roken's death people both condemned her and revered her, someone so young killing her full grown Katagaria mate is no easy feat. And she had changed, she was cold now and calculating. She had given up everyone once for love and her own life, she came back and her life was the pride. She strove to protect it in anyway she could. She lives not for herself but for her pride, she's too young for that kind of responsibility. When we went to war with the Katagaria we lost many of our males, I had no desire to be leader and Sher and Lev were to young, Ariel took over."

Head spinning Paris was able to stutter out one more question. "You said she killed her mate and his brother 'or so she thought'?"

"Ah yes, that's rather troubling indeed. It seems that Ramirez's brother survived and went on to convict his daughter at the Omegrion, though Ariel saved her."

"What!"

"Yes, rather dramatic really that after all these years she comes face to face with Aldo Fernandez, her once brother in-law and almost murderer, and saves his daughter. I suppose Ariel felt like Aiyanna is in someway her niece."

"This is beyond screwed up …" Paris mumbled and knocked back another shot.

"What are you still doing here?"

Paris froze as Ariel spoke form behind him, he twisted around still holding his shot glass in his hand. It struck him suddenly and very profoundly how proud he was of his mate. She had suffered so much yet was still kind and compassionate, so what if she didn't want to mate with him … okay, so perhaps that was the drink talking but who cares …

Paris looked down from her outraged face, flushed with anger to the her feet where her niece cub sat. She had taken in the daughter of the man who attempted to have her killed, she was going for sainthood. Paris smiled, not grinned or smirked but smiled warmly at her.

"I like your family, Ari," Paris said, lowering his voice to a friendly, pleasant tone. Hell, he could be the master of seduction if this is what it called for. "Just wanted to get to know them."

"I don't see why! Your not going to be around long enough to get to know them any better!"

"Now, Ari, that's kinda rude. I know Faraa raised you better then that," he grinned then, boyishly and he saw out the corner of his eye Faraa cover her own smile with her hand. Theo and she silently got up from the table and moved towards the house, though they did not escape Ariel's deadly glare.

Paris raised the bottle of tequila and used it to indicate the vacant chair next to him, Ariel warred with herself for a moment then unable to resist the challenge he presented sat down opposite him. Aiyanna followed and laid down with her head on Ariel's feet.

"Can you drink?" Paris asked pouring two shots out and slid one over to her but Ariel gave it a disdainful look and focused back on him.

"Not with you," she sniffed and Paris tried not to smile, instead he gave a long suffering sigh.

"I understand, someone like you probably shouldn't drink this stuff anyway …"

There was a heartbeat of silence then -

"A person like me?" Her voice low and rather chilling, "what the hell does that mean!"

"Oh nothing horrible. I just meant," Paris gave a mock thoughtful look and made noises as if he were trying to say something, his mouth opening and closing in a theatrical deliberation of how best to say it to her. "I just meant, that a person so elegant and graceful and delicate -"

"Delicate! You piece of -"

"I just didn't think you've ever tried anything as lowly and common as tequila, I'm sure we could have Cristal champagne somewhere round here."

Bated beyond her limit Ariel picked up the glass and knocked it back, she did not grimace or hiss when it hit the back of her throat. She slapped the glass back down on the table and then stood up.

"Let's do this the right way," she said before walking off into the house, Paris sat alone for a minute, he rubbed his stubbled chin then huffed a laugh to himself, seducing Ariel would be sweet. He could ruffle her feather up the wrong way, that was fun but smoothing them down would feel a whole lot better. Feeling Ariel's presence he watched her return with a tray, on it was a bowl of quartered limes, salt and a bottle of what looked like tequila but it had no label. She put the tray down and gave him a half smug half taunting look, eyebrow raised she took the seat opposite.

"What's this?" Paris asked picking up the bottle and lightly tossing it in his hand watching the potent looking liquid whirlpool through the glass.

"Its tequila without the human hair," Ariel answered using the Were phrase that meant the alcohol could get a Were-hunter drunk, Paris flashed her a grin.

"Home brew?" Her lips twitched and she nodded.

"I call it Freakquila."

Paris poured them shots then looked uncertainly at the limes, Ariel laughed at his frown of confusion, her laugh was like warm honey sliding down his throat. She took a quarter of lime from the bowl and placed it by her glass, Paris watched lustily whilst she moistened the area between her forefinger and thumb, sprinkle salt on it and lick it off, she downed her 'freakquila' and sucked quickly on the lime. Paris laughed at her screwed up face and when she spoke it was in a voice not quite her own. He tsked, "typical woman, Can't handle her drink."

"Your turn," she coughed, Paris went to down it but she stopped him.

"Salt, shot then lime," she moved closer and grabbed his hand and positioned it in front of his face, "lick it."

Paris did so but before she could move her hand his tongue caught her fingertips and he sucked one into his mouth, she tasted of the limes she had been handling. Paris expected her to hit him or shove him away at least, but she didn't and when he looked up she was just staring at him, her lips slightly parted.

He moved back and salted his hand all the while watching her, he was about to lick it off when he stopped and cocked his head. Ariel felt heat flash through her whole body, while his tongue swirled around her fingertip it made her want to pant, she should have told him no but it was impossible.

"Take your hair down," he demanded though his voice still had a soft timbre that was not threatening, Ariel gave him a quizzical look.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to."

"I want to see it down," Paris mutter and reached up with his free hand to touch a loosened strand from her plait. "I want to see it hanging like a soft blanket over your shoulders and smell its scent when the breeze blows just right."

Ariel was hypnotised by the way he spoke, the way he looked at her as if he desired nothing more then to feast on her, his touched was more like a ghost of a caress, barely creating movement yet producing a quivering feeling in her stomach. Suddenly she snapped her head back.

"What do you think your doing?"

"Touching you," he replied simply.

"I don't want you to."

"Well you might as well get used to it because I'm not leaving," Ariel opened her mouth to tell him she was prepared to kick his ass all the way down the road to get him out of her life, but he interrupted her.

"I'm not leaving until I get a fair chance with you. You won't mate with me, I got that, but this is the first time in my life I've been mated … I want these next three weeks to feel what its like even if its not complete or real. I'll never have it again so let me just be with you for now."

The raw emotion in his voice robbed her of air, but Ariel refused to let him know he moved her and she shook her head at him.

"Well, I'm staying anyway, whether you like it or not. If you didn't know, I'm on the most wanted slayers list, nearly every sentinel would give their right arm to take me out. And while you wear the mating mark you have my scent - you need my protection."

Ariel hissed at him. "I can do that myself -"

"No doubt," Paris said casually, enjoying watching her face flush red and her eyes flash angrily, he had smarted that streak of pride and independence in her that ran a mild wide and he loved watching the effect. It was very arousing.

Paris licked his hand and shot his glass, his throat began to burn the instant it touched his tongue, his mouth exploded, the only thing that kept from spitting it out was Ariel watching with satisfaction. Swallowing it was like torture but it went down, his throat raw and tender he didn't dare speak, Ariel laughed heartily and grabbed a quarter of lime.

"Open your mouth," she was able to say around her laughter while watching his eyes water, he did as he was told and she squeezed in the lime juice, instantly the harsh burn was dulled slightly and he felt like some of the skin may have remained on the inside of his throat. He cut a glare at Ariel who was still laughing, holding her side.

"You could have warned me," he rasped as she wiped her own eyes that were streaming with mirth.

"What? And miss all that fun, hell no!"

"I hate you," Paris muttered without any real conviction and Ariel shrugged, he watched in amazement as she repeated his actions with a lot more refinement and only mild grimacing. He poured himself another glass and looked up to meet Ariel's wide eyed stare.

"We're going keep drinking until I can take it as well as you can," Paris shook his head as he applied the salt, "damn, Trey is going to rib me raw that my mate can handle drink better then I can."

He hadn't meant to say that but he smoothly carried on, not faltering in his actions and Ariel did not say anything in protest of his statement which was heartening.

She should have told him they weren't mates, she should nip this in the bud while it was just at the beginning. But the way he said it, so lovingly and easily, she doubted even he knew how soft his voice got when he said it. It was a tender, affectionate look in his eyes that was her undoing and she couldn't blame it on the drink, even though it was making her head buzz, she knew she should have said something. But the truth was she had liked hearing it, liked being looked at as someone's mate again. And in hindsight, she saw what she had been blind to in youth when she had been mated to Ramirez, she had let him manipulate her into thinking everything had been her fault, the reasons he had hit her - her fault. But she none of that in Paris, he was a true animal because he was all that he seemed, no hidden agenda or motivation, he was open and honest and that would be her downfall.

Still Ariel allowed them to carry on drinking together, like a couple they sat and saw in the twilight, Paris pointed out to her the first evening star. If she could have nothing else in the future she would always have this memory to look back on, and she would forever be grateful to Paris for it.

They were both a little buzzed by the time twilight came upon them Aiyanna had slinked off in to the house and her family had not come to check up on them, they had been blissfully alone for hours. Paris rolled his head on his neck and looked over at Ariel, he lifted his hand and tugged at her plait laying over her shoulder, he plucked the band from the bottom and tossed it in to the shadows of the garden. Ariel gave a tipsy giggle.

"I don't like my hair down!" she cried out laughing, Paris staggered out of his seat and stood behind her gently pulling the strands apart until it was unbound and flowing like silken sunshine through his fingers.

"How can you not like it," Paris muttered, not expecting any type of answer but Ariel sighed happily, her inhibitions lost to the night like her hair band.

"I always wore my hair down when I was young, I don't like being reminded of that time."

Without thinking Paris wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leant his chin on her head, she leant back into his embrace and sighed dreamily then smiled when she felt his lips at her temple. In her drunken state everything felt natural and perfect, fears that should have her jumping out of the chair and running for cover were pushed to the back of her mind as petty annoyances that she'll think of tomorrow.

"Run with me tonight," Paris whispered in her ear, making chills tingle her skin, moaning aloud she stood up and faced him, her eyes deepening then flashing like cats eye in the cresting moonlight. She walked backwards from him, biting her lip seductively, she whipped around and flashed into her lioness form.

Paris sucked in his breath as he watched her lithe, athletic form race into the night, he tracked her with his eyes and senses into the darkness, she was a white lion and her pale form turned silver under the moonlight. They had the whole of the ranch open to them tonight, the night was their's to command. Paris gave a triumphant roar and flashed into his lion form and raced after Ariel.


	7. Chapter 7

(Thank you to everyone that's reviewed this fanfic for me, I really do appreciate it and only ask you review more. Of course criticism is welcome because even I spot the mistakes in my work sometimes, so I'm sure you do to.)

Paris and Ariel ran for hours side by side, their animal forms staggering and rolling through the long grass that grew at the farthest point of Ariel's ranch, it reminded Ariel of her time in Africa when she was growing up, when she had met Ramirez. She slid her gaze to the lion next to her, golden and magnificent, he wasn't Ramirez, he was Paris. With a happy growl she tackled him to the ground and they fell, hidden in the grass under the only tree in the vicinity. It spread its leafy canopy overhead concealing them from the heavens, Paris lay under, her his lion eyes still glassy and dazed looking. Had the alcohol been of the human variety they would have burned it out of their system within minutes, however they were still wired from a whole evening of drinking. Ariel leant down and licked Paris's muzzle.

Ariel flashed into her human form and buried her face in Paris's thick mane and gave a pleasurable 'mmm' before pulling back to look at him. She should be skittish around him but she wasn't, she felt free for the first time in years. Paris's animal eyes grinned at her before he flashed into his delicious human form and he was naked!

"I want you so much," he slurred and leant up to nuzzle her ear, he grinned lecherously before making Ariel's clothes disappear, instead of shoving him back as he expected she let him roll over with her until he was positioned atop her between her thighs.

"Your nothing like my other mate," she said distractedly with her hand playing in his hair, wrapping it around her fingers.

"I'm your only mate," Paris growled and crushed his mouth to hers to halt all other talk of the kind, when he pulled back her eyes were alight with passion, her lips parted on a pant.

"Are you jealous?" she teased, her mocking laughter had him nipping her ear hard in reprimand, which only excited her more.

"I don't want you ever speaking of him again," Paris snarled and sucked hard on her neck, he moved his lips to her breast and bit on her nipple, Ariel moaned and arched, her hand tightening almost painfully in his hair. "Not speaking - not thinking of him - ever again!" With each demand his suckles became more forceful. He lifted his head to pierce her with a gaze that, for his words looked completely sober.

"Know this, little mate. Had you not killed Ramirez Fernandez I would have!"

Ariel froze under him but drink made him bolder and he continued his path with his tongue from one breast to another.

"How do you know about that?" she whispered, her voice hitched slightly with anxiety.

"Theo and Faraa told me," Paris replied simply swirling his tongue around her pink peak, Ariel tried not to let her brain fill with a fog, lustful and intense she tried to break Paris's spell. She struggled under his weight, Paris just stretched himself flush with her body and caught her wrists, pinning them beside her head.

"I shouldn't be here with you," she whimpered weakly, something she would hate when she was sober.

"Yes you should," Paris murmured and buried his face in her unbound hair, he nuzzled and petted, his fingers twining with hers, gripping tightly. He purred loudly from deep in his chest and it reverberated through his skin to the valley between her breasts, she bit her lip while she moaned. Oh, the pleasure!

"We should be together always, little lion lady. My little lion woman." Paris pressed his forehead hard against Ariel's, his eyes bore into hers and when he next spoke it with a depth of emotion that was immeasurable. "Give to me forever, Ariel, its all I want. But if you can't… just touch me now, touch me deep … pure and true. Okay?"

Ariel felt her throat tighten and she nodded realising now that she gripped his hands a lot tighter then he hers, she pushed her body up to meet his. Paris captured her lips with his once more in a sweet, lingering kiss while he shifted his body and slipped inside her slowly, inch by glorious inch, as hard and thick as he was it wasn't uncomfortable, in fact Ariel felt her body stretch and accommodate him so willingly that it was if he were made to be locked into her body, in to her mind and heart.

Instead of the rough fast tempo she expected he set a slow, leisurely pace that created a firestorm in her just as hot as anything harder could have done, it didn't feel like simple sex as she lay below him and stared not at the leafy ceiling but into his golden eyes, he was making love to her. Even if they did not love each other they were mates and that created a certain bond between people, gave the physical act more meaning then a simple scratching of an itch.

Paris bit his lip and thrust hard and deep, he worked her until she writhed beneath him, until he watched her pant and cry out as she broke free in a shattering release that had her core tightening around so his eyes crossed. Her second release was more potent to him then the first and he could no longer hold back, she arched as she came for him and with a rumbling growl he let himself join her.

****

Ariel's mouth tasted like she had run it over a furry carpet, her head was pounding and so was every other part of her body for that matter. Err … and she realised with annoyance someone was shining a light in her face. Ariel prepared herself to meet the beam of a flashlight, a very bright flashlight might she add, squinting open her eyes she saw blazing blue, an expanse of azure that was so flawless and fathomless it hurt her eyes. It was only when Ariel realised her ceiling was white did her heart quicken its beat, her eyes flickered to her right and a burning sun blinded her. A sunburst of searing white light radiated scorching heat, even though from its position she deduced it was only mid morning. What the hell was she doing -

A warm weight over her stomach froze her in the actions of wiping her streaming eyes, angling her head Ariel looked down and barely suppressed a groan. Paris's huge lion's head lay over her stomach, because it was impossible for him to sleep in his human form the position he lay in was aggressively protective from an animal perspective.

These actions should have warmed her but they didn't, in fact she felt sick when she remembered what they had done. It was complicating and wrong in so many different ways. As they had the mating mark he could actually impregnate her, she could be carrying his young after last night and contraception didn't work on were's. Pregnancy aside, she didn't want to complicate her feelings for him further or his for her.

Why did she have to get drunk last night?! Why did she have to show-off and try and drink him under the table?

Feeling suddenly claustrophobic Ariel rolled a still sleeping Paris off of her and began to stride back through the grass back to her home, remembering to clothe herself while she marched her way over her land.

By the time she got to the house she was sweating, panting and aching, quite like the aftermath of sex and yet not at all. Swiping her brow with the back of her hand, Ariel used the back entrance to come up over the porch Paris and she had drunk themselves silly last night on and walked through the kitchen. Stamping hard on each step as promised herself to sell half the land so she would never have to do that trek again and thought longingly of a cold glass of iced - Paris!

He was sitting up the breakfast bar with Theo and Ly while Faraa served them pancakes, they all stopped and looked up as she walked in, all tried not to smile except Paris who grinned openly. Trying to be dignified she met none of their eyes while asking loftily, "where's Aiyanna?"

"She's playing in the nursery with Leona and the kids," Theo answered, his voice had a definite trace of laughter in it.

"With Leona?" Ariel asked sternly, momentarily forgetting her mortification, but Ly shook her head and quickly swallowed a mouthful of milk.

"Don't worry about it. She only hates Paris -" who shrugged good-naturedly, "besides Faraa threatened her on penalty of death should Aiyanna come to any harm. Though I think she's missing you."

Ariel nodded, "ok then. Well, I'm going for a shower then I'll go see her -"

"No breakfast?" Faraa said, holding the frying pan up hopefully, Ariel felt her stomach rumble but put it to the back of her mind so she shook her head, Faraa looked crestfallen.

"So," Ly said breaking the sudden silence, "how was the walk back?"

Everyone in the room snorted into their plates, Ariel threw Paris a filthy look and walked from the room.

Paris grimaced when he heard her slam the bathroom door from all the way upstairs then past an exasperated look to Ly who shrugged.

"Who cares?" she said around a mouthful of pancake, "its about time someone took the stick out of her butt. This is the only time I get to make fun of her and I am so taking it while its here."

"Don't make this more awkward for her then it already is," Faraa said, she had little patience with the young lioness. "Or for Paris for that matter."

Paris just shrugged but at the same time was glad that Faraa pulled the reins on Ly, he had a feeling with her constant taunting she could end up driving Ariel further away from him then before. Faraa put another plate in front of him and he picked up a fork, it was really weird from him to be in human form at this time. Usually both he and Trey were either asleep or camping out in a secluded wild area so they could take their animal forms.

"Thinking of … how come your in human form?" Ly asked, adding so much syrup to her pancakes Paris actually cringed. "Most Katagaria don't play human in the daytime."

"Normally I don't, but it doesn't mean I can't. The daylight doesn't really bother me, most Katagaria train themselves to be able to be human in the day so they can blend with the world their in."

"Yeah but only the really powerful can pull it off, right?" Ly said her eyes rather awe-struck, Paris just shrugged again.

"Its weird, isn't it, Faraa?" Ly said, "didn't I hear that Ariel said Ramirez only ever changed in to human form to do the deed?"

She wagged her eyebrows suggestively and Paris felt rage explode in the pit of his gut, his hands actually shook at Ly's words. Theo saw this and told Ly sternly to shut her mouth. Ly covered her wide grin with her hand and said sorry. Though she sounded anything but apologetic.

If Ariel could hear Ly not only would she rip the unthinking lioness's head off but she would be hurt that her family would talk about her in such a way. Paris levelled a glare at Ly.

"You should never make light of people's pain," he growled and Ly looked sullen.

"It was like centuries ago -"

"And when you live to feel what real pain is, I'm very certain you'll think twice about mocking other people for remembering it years afterwards."

Ly gave a half shrug and slid from her chair and moved out the door Ariel had, Paris sighed and looked down at his hands. He had seen Ariel leave him this morning, watched her walk for those few long miles and had been angry that she had left him. In effort to teach her a lesson and piss her off he had flashed himself back here and made enough noise as to rouse Faraa and Theo. They had all been in the kitchen when Ariel had walked in looking shabby and unkempt, though to Paris she looked fantastic. Her long hair unbound and windswept, her clothes stuck tight to her body, gifting him with curves he had been too drunk to appreciate the night before.

He had known what it would do to her pride to have her family see her looking so flustered and out of control and now he was sickened at himself. He had no right to lecture Ly when he had caused her just as much humiliation if not more.

He shoved the plate from him and rubbed a hand over his eyes, when he looked up he realised Theo and Faraa had both left the room.

Paris grabbed a plate a piled it up and went upstairs.

****

Ariel opened her wardrobe and stared at the expanse of black and grey and … black. Oh there was a little bit of white there too. She sighed, she didn't particularly like dark and boring colours - though black was slimming - those colours and her office executive type of dress made her feel like she could take on the world. It added a layer of gloss to her that she needed in effort to retain her compact and cool exterior. She walked further in to her closet and looked at the shoes, sensible pumps, high heeled shows but still rather sedate looking, some open toes - all black.

She moved on a little further and ran her hand over her jeans, soft and torn at the knee and baggy, they were her favourite article of clothing and also her least worn. She gave them a small smile and was about to turn her back on them when she pictured this morning walking in, her family had never seen her in such a state since her pre-puberty days and it was hard for them to think of her as anything other then an ice maiden without cracking jokes.

But Aiyanna wouldn't say anything, she was a clean slate, a way to start over without being look at as if a pod person had given her a personality transplant. With a determined grunt Ariel yanked on the jeans, the sudden rush of rebellion and freedom they gave her made her giggle. She pushed her feet into old sneakers, the round toes barely poking out from under the jean and a self-styled tank top from back when she was young that had the legend 'Roar For Me!" over the breasts. Ariel had fitted her walk in closet with a full length mirror, even though strictly speaking she didn't have to have clothes or even make the effort to get dressed each morning, the act of putting on clothes, applying make-up and doing her hair always relaxed her, it made her feel feminine in a time when she was very unsure about herself.

Being almost killed by your husband can do that to a person, her mind said comfortingly.

Ariel stepped out of her closet and her eyes immediately went to her bed on it was a silver tray, one of Faraa's best, and on that was dainty china plates, on one was bacon and eggs, another pancakes, syrup, strawberries, a rack of toast. Ariel walked over to it, very unsure of herself, it had been a long time since someone had ever done such a thing, in fact she couldn't recall a time when she had ever been waited on like this. As a young cub she was given lots of attention but back in those days it was as common for humans to teach their young how to fend for themselves as it was for were's. Times were harder, most children had to care for themselves as their parents were usually killed in wars or died of the plague or starvation. Post-Martial-Murder stage as Ariel had termed it, people tried not to come near her, she was too angry, too calm, too everything … plus people blamed her for the death of Roken. Rightly so.

Ariel picked up a carefully folded note, she opened it and read.

Friends?

"What the hell?" Ariel muttered then she heard a knock and looked up, at her bedroom door Paris leant his arm against the door jamb and gave her a sheepish yet utterly sexy grin.

"Was this down to you?" She gestured to the tray and he nodded, it made her feel like the butter dripping from the slice of toast, she cleared her throat then gave him a tentative smile.

That smile heated his blood making it lava and he took a step into the room, when she didn't object he moved to her side.

"I thought you deserved it after my thoughtless actions this morning," he said softly his fingers brushing the bottom tendrils of her waist length hair.

"What do you mean?"

"Turning up here the way I did, I didn't say anything but when they guessed I didn't put them off the scent. It was wrong of me."

Ariel waved a careless hand as if washing away his words.

"That's okay, you weren't to know, besides it was light hearted and if you can't take it from your family who can you take a good ribbing off of, eh?"

Paris was amazed that she should be so accepting and understanding, he wasn't so sure that he would agree with the light-hearted statement, he saw again the rather malicious glint in Ly's eyes when she spoke of Ariel.

Ariel looked up at Paris who was watching her and felt heat infuse her cheeks, she cleared her throat but was saved the necessity of speaking because Paris spoke first.

"I know you probably blame me for last night -"

"Of course I don't," she snapped, she was irritated that he danced about her so gently as if she would break under the least bit of responsibility. "If anything it was my fault and even then none of us were responsible for our actions. I'm angry at myself for letting it go so far," she added quietly.

"Was it so bad then?"

Ariel sighed. "Of course not. I just think it could complicate things for us."

It was Paris's turn to sigh, his eyes never leaving her. "Can't you just give me a chance. I'm not asking you to mate with me but I am asking for a chance, let me share your life for three weeks. Three weeks out of eternity and then you'll never see me again if you wish."

Paris realised he was pleading but he had no choice, the more he thought of being mated, the more he wanted it, wanted her, wanted what she had here with her family. He had never had a family before and as much as he loved Trey, they were both a couple of loners - which was a weird paradox in itself. Paris watched, holding his breath as his eyes searched her down turned face for some sort of reaction. When she looked up her eyes were unreadable, she took his hand gently into hers and turned it over, she ran her thumb over his knuckles. He wondered what she saw, what she looked for?

"I -," her voice faltered, she cleared her throat, "I can't eat all this breakfast on my own, would you like to help me."

Paris smiled, he was in fact still hungry, were-lions usually ate five times more then the average human on each meal so he was only half full.

"I'd love to."

They sat together for almost an hour on her bed and Paris felt a sense of peace he had never known before steal into his soul. Paris looked up and saw her buttering a slice of toast and grinned, he was clumsy with the dainty butter knife and had almost dropped it on her duvet, she had threatened him with castration and proceeded to butter it for him, it was a strange thing to watch her prepare his food. Not unpleasant though. Ariel looked up.

"Jam?"

"No, thank you." He took the toast off of her then cocked his head, she smiled cheekily and imitated him.

"Your thinking something," she said and bit into her scrambled eggs.

"I was just thinking I like your style today."

She grinned in such a cute way it was all Paris could do not to lean over and kiss her, "I guess we're dressed alike today."

Paris looked down at himself, he had dressed for the hot weather with a pair of long shorts and a white vest, he glanced up to see her giving his abs a heated look and gave a stretch so that he flexed them more then needed. He saw her lick her lips and he wanted to purr.

"I think I already roared for you last night," he teased then wanted to kick himself, way to go mentioning about last night when she probably wanted to forget about it. To his amazement she smiled and gave a nonchalant shrug.

"You did good."

Paris grinned, she was never what he expected, he always expected her to be cold and uptight when the truth was she was so down-to-earth and ready to laugh. How could have misjudged her so badly. Then he knew, she was good at showing the world what she wanted them to see and in doing so she had fooled them all, even him.

Once breakfast finished Paris flashed himself and the tray downstairs and when he came up again Ariel was trying to tie her hair up in a bun, she made a noise of frustration and let the mass of silk tumble down her back.

"What's up?" Paris asked.

"Ah nothin', just my hair. Its got so long now its aches my arms to work it into a style every morning. It needs to be cut."

Paris actually whimpered at the thought of someone taking the scissors to her beautiful hair, yeah right, he would maim anyone who dared cut it. He moved behind her and pushed her on to a stool in front of her vanity table, he picked up the brush and began to stroke it through her hair. Ariel titled her head back slightly and gave a small purr, Paris laughed lightly.

"Like that?"

"No one's ever brushed my hair before," she murmured her eyes closed. Paris clenched his teeth to keep himself from telling her that should she let him stay, he would take pleasure in brushing it for her one hundred times each morning and night, that he would gently kiss and nip the wispy thin curls growing under the heavy fall of hair. Ariel opened her eyes and giggled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Its just your hands are so manly, you don't look as if you should be doing something like this."

Paris looked down at his calloused palms and placed the brush back on the dressing table, he grimaced at her reflection.

"Sorry, did they catch at your hair?"

Ariel smiled and turned in her seat, she reached up and slid her forefinger under his front curls, "not a bit."

Paris smiled rather shyly before kissing her hand and turning her to face the mirror again, she was turning him inside out, she couldn't look at him like that and not expect him to want her, to kiss her.

Paris pulled the front of her hair back and secured it with clips, Ariel wrinkled her nose at her reflection and Paris leant down to kiss her shoulder, her expression changed to one of desire and when she stood up and turned to face him the only thing that stopped her forcing him back towards her bed was a loud, ferocious growl from the nursery.


	8. Chapter 8

(Thanks to reviewer Ereana who gave me a really great review for Paris's fanfic. And to all my past reviewers huge thanks too.)

Paris and Ariel flashed themselves immediately to the source of commotion. In the nursery where toys were scattered all over the carpeted floor and the walls had framed pictures of beautiful landscapes and Disney characters, stood Leona, Ariel's second cousin Deena, Ly and Aiyanna. Leona was holding a screaming baby and yelling while the dark headed woman held up a long wooden staff and was thrusting it in Aiyanna's direction, prodding her back into the corner. Aiyanna swiped her long claws at the pole and roared, Ariel ran to Aiyanna and blocked the cubs body with her own, both Aiyanna and Deena attacked at the same time, Ariel felt the pole hit her in the stomach knocking the wind out of her while Aiyanna's claws made shallow cut in the back of her thighs.

Paris gave a roar that could only be produced from a fully fledged male lion and ran at Deena, she held the pole up to ward him off but he grabbed it and threw it and her from him until she bounced off of the opposite wall, leaving a sizable dent. He advanced on her and Ariel fearing for her cousin's life managed to get her throat working again.

"Paris, no!" she heaved loudly, Aiyanna was laying shaking in the corner, Ariel wanted so much to soothe her but she could barely catch her breath. Paris moved back to her side and sat on the floor beside Ariel, he pulled her in to his lap and nuzzled her hair while he threw dagger looks over her head to Leona and Deena.

"Don't you dare look at us like that Katagaria!" Leona shrieked, "that animal nearly savaged my little boy! Had Deena not been here she would have ripped him to shreds."

Paris cut a glare at Ly, "is that what happened?"

Ly shifted uncomfortably under his stare then gave a nervous glance to her aunt and cousin.

"Well … not ex-act-ly."

"Ly, you little liar! That's exactly what happened!"

"What! Exactly! Happened!" Ariel roused herself enough so shout the words across at her aunt who winced.

"She was sniffing around Nikoli, but Nikoli was crying before she came near him -" Ly said suddenly before her aunt could answer. Paris gave a sardonic half laugh.

"Typical Arcadian's don't ever think there could be a reasonable explanation, just too eager to kill."

"How dare -" Deena began but Ariel who was at her wits end cut her over.

"He's right! Had you had the brains to think before acting you might have saved me a dig in the stomach and yourself a busted head and dented wall - which by the way your paying to be fixed!"

Deena looked literally apoplectic with anger, so much so that words failed her and she stamped from the room with a screaming Nikoli and an indignant Leona. Ly shifted from one foot to the other before Ariel gave her an irritated stare.

"You can leave!"

Ly looked immensely relieved and flashed herself out of the nursery, Ariel crossed the room on a crawl to Aiyanna who was shaking, Ariel raised her hand to run it over her fur but Aiyanna flinched. Ariel felt pain slice her heart, she just hoped Deena's actions hadn't permanently damaged Aiyanna and ruined all the work Ariel had put in to making her safe.

"Oh baby, don't. That wasn't your fault. It'll never happen again, I swear."

"Doubt that," Paris muttered darkly and winced when Ariel glared at him, Ariel coaxed Aiyanna into following her outside in to the garden, Paris followed them until she led them through a gate and into a secluded garden away from the rest. It was filled with long flowery arches and ponds, fountains and tall hedges, flourishing beds of flowers of all colours and scents had Aiyanna running dizzily around, chasing bee's and staring up trees at magpies and hummingbirds. She stared at frogs that hopped about on an artificial creek and swiped her paw through a small waterfall.

It was beautiful and soothing, like the woman next to him, the world felt right here, there was no danger of being hurt or abused, Aiyanna felt it and so did Paris.

Paris touched Ariel's arm and guided her to a stone bench, she sat gingerly, hissing as the movement irritated her wounds. Paris felt a flash of anger but he tampered it down and made her lean back so he could pull her top up and inspect her stomach. There was a circular harsh red graze where the end of the pole had struck he touched it lightly and Ariel gave a small whimper, he jerked his hand back.

"Sorry to be such a wimp," Ariel muttered, her face flushing, "I never could stand pain."

Paris was shocked when a he felt a tightness in his throat, he cupped her cheek. "You handle pain just fine."

They both knew that he wasn't talking about her physical wounds and Ariel pulled back from him, "I don't want to talk about it," she said harshly and Paris nodded, knowing now wasn't the time to press her.

"I've got to make a feel of your stomach, just to see if anything got messed up on the inside," he reached out and began to apply pressure to her stomach, feeling it all over.

"Forget about it," Ariel muttered, forgetting the pain while her body went molten with desire, "whatever's wrong has to be completely fatal for me not to heal."

"You might not worry about yourself but I do," Paris responded distractedly and when he seemed satisfied he bent his head and kissed her stomach gently, it made her gasp out a laugh and she felt his lips curve against her flesh. "Hmm, ticklish …"

He started to lick, long slow laps to her already purpling bruise, Ariel purred and lifted an uncertain hand and brushed it through his curls, she let his hair bury her hand and twine itself round her fingers fusing them together.

Paris pulled back to grin at her and was delighted when she blushed.

"Examination over," he said wickedly and in her head Ariel's mind said _'Ooh, why?' _but what came out of her mouth was a rather teasing and flippant.

"So you think you're a doctor or something?"

"I trained under Hippocrates," Paris answered and watched Ariel's eyes go wide.

"Get out!"

"Serious," he said with a laugh, "a lot of the myths today name Hippocrates as being born earlier then he actually was. They got a lot of things wrong about him actually, anyway he was a crabby old bastard at times and he got a few things wrong but he knew his stuff."

"Holy shit!" Ariel was staring at him in awe, it was a look he never expected to receive from her, he yearned for it now that he had it and would miss it when it was gone. Ariel titled her head to the side and smiled sweetly, she reached up and ran her forefinger over his eyebrows.

"I like your eyes, Paris."

"Good to know you like something about me," he muttered and moved closer, so he could rub his whiskered cheek against hers, then against her shoulder, much like a cat did when it wanted petting. He felt that soft hand in his hair and to his pleasure he felt her dip her head and place a kiss on the back of his neck, it caused a loud purring noise to erupt from his chest.

He pulled back to stare at her, it was the first time she had shown that kind of affection towards him without it being drink induced or the effects of the mating season.

"Where are your pride, Paris?" Ariel asked and watched a sudden wariness flicker behind his eyes, it was gone just as quickly. Paris cleared his throat and his eyes searched the shrubs around them, Ariel shifted closer, ignoring the rough clawing from the stone at her wounds on the back of her legs.

"You don't want to tell me?" Ariel couldn't quite keep the hurt out of her voice and his eyes slashed to her full of remorse. "Its only fair seeing … seeing as you know about … me," she ended lamely.

Paris gave a half laugh and gave her a brief one armed sort of hug, it made her shiver and break out into goose bumps even under the midday sun.

Paris didn't know what to say, he had never discussed his past to anyone, not even Trey who he suspected had figured out most of it anyway. He didn't know if he wanted to tell her what he tried hard to forget. Her past pain had affected her so deeply that though she had tried to forget it, it had tainted every aspect of her life. He tried his hardest to escape his own.

_I'm her mate, I have a right to know!_

Paris laughed aloud again when his own words haunted him then Ariel put her hand on his arm, its warm weight shook him to the core of his being. A gentle hand, soothing and undemanding, touching him not in lust or anger but kindness. The rarity of it was something to treasure.

"Its okay, Paris," she said softly, "you don't have to tell me."

But I do, he thought as he looked at her. Not only because she had as much right to his past as he had to hers but because there was a part of him that wanted her to know. For them to be brought closer because of their long-ago hurts, two kindred spirits finding each other and comforting.

"How much do you actually know about Katagaria lions, Ariel?" Paris asked, then realised what a stupid question it was, of course she would have her own idea … that, he now admitted, wasn't entirely inaccurate. "I mean aside from Ramirez and his family."

Paris watched her mouth tighten and her nostrils flare, her jaw moved as though she was clenching her teeth, she took her hand from his arm and Paris immediately felt the absence.

"Not much," she admitted on a resigned sigh, "not much at all really. When - when I was mated I took little notice of the family I had gained. I only wanted to be with my mate and he kept me isolated from his pride."

Paris heard the venomous anger in her voice and knew it was directed inwards, after all this time she still blamed herself.

"You were young, Ari -"

"Don't Paris, its no excuse. Besides," she tried to smile encouragingly, "we were talking about you."

"Unfortunately."

Paris turned so he faced her fully and picked up her hand setting it on his arm again, Ariel looked down at it with the sweetest expression ever to grace a woman's face. "I was born in Athens an eternity ago to a pride that was … God, how the hell do I explain this! We hated Arcadians, okay. Every Katagaria does, I can't apologise for that. It's the way we were raised. But my pride was different."

He paused and stared into the hyacinths, he found it easier then looking at her face.

"To be human was a sin, it was defective and shunned. We spent as little time in human form as possible, choosing to eat as animals, mate as animals. You understand? We were extreme even by Katagaria standards. And when we were forced to change by going through puberty our human bodies, frail and weak from the transformation were torn apart, the lions would maul and tear at us in a frenzy that killed half the lions that had to go through it."

"Every full moon when we were forced by the pull of the moon to change, the elders were sent into a rage of self harming with whips and chains and if they didn't beat themselves they beat others. No one was spared, not female, not cub. It was vicious, cruel by even animal morality. Not even real lions came near us, the elders said it was because they smelt the taint in our souls and refused to acknowledge us because humans had caused them so much suffering. But you know what? It wasn't true. They refused to come near us because the taint wasn't the human soul … it was the sickness in their brains, the hatred in their hearts. Animals can smell that, Ariel. You know they can. And the natural lions feared what they sensed in my pride."

By this point Ariel felt her whole body shaking, she longed to pull her arm back and run for the shelter of her home, she didn't want to believe Paris would ever hurt her the way Ramirez did but she was willing to bet something as precious as her life on it. She didn't run, the pain and shame in his face was enough to keep her seat, she did however pull her arm back. Paris grabbed her shaky hand and held fast, bringing it to his lips and kissing her fingers, wrist, palm, knuckles.

"Please touch me," He whispered, his eyes and brow in her palm, "this is why I didn't want you to know about it, Ariel. I don't want you fearing me."

"Carry on with your story, Paris," Ariel whispered back, stroking his head once, "tell me the truth and I'll not fear you."

Paris let his mind wander back through the maze of his mind to his life as a cub in his fanatical pride. Like typical lion prides there was at least six unrelated males and over twenty females all related, they did this by exiling the males born or unmated within the pride.

Paris thought of his own family, his father had been the dominant lion within the pride but there was no paternal love they saved him from a lifetime of beatings. No such thing as compassion or mercy existed there, not even amongst the women, that's what made Ariel so special to him. He remembered the cruelty of his father with such clarity that even now it sent a chill down his spine, it was birthing season amongst the females and Paris had just gone through puberty and his first beating, he was weak and undernourished by being unable to fight for his food. The females were all in labour so the males were expected to hunt for themselves for the week, in animal form the females were all silent, they did not roar or growl yet the pain of childbirth was rife in the air. More frequently the sound of mewling from the newly born cubs sounded - then Paris went cold.

The squalling cry alien to the lions was heard and marching out of the birthing den came Paris's father Damascus and in his mouth was a new born human baby. Damascus dumped the baby at Paris's feet and the elder's gathered round, Damascus ignored them and continued to look at Paris, he transformed into human form and the whole pride held its breath.

The naked human male before him was Paris's father but Paris would never have known it, this was the first time he had seen his father like this and it was then, oddly enough that he deduced that he must have got his features and hair colour from his mother. Though he had never known her in human form. The man before him was tall and lean like Paris but he was dark haired and blue eyed, the hair fell in a scraggy mess into Damascus's eyes. To be in human form was to present a vulnerable side of yourself, Damascus was about to do or say something drastic to the pride, by doing this I human form showed them his willingness to die should they see fit.

"Transform before me," Damascus growled and Paris and the elder's did as he commanded without a second thought, they all stood naked and shabby looking, their hair matted and unkempt, their skin filthy, Paris included.

"You see this that lies at your feet?" Damascus asked, toeing the baby that was still bawling at the top of its lungs. Paris had felt an inexplicable urge to bed down and try to comfort it, to hush it or take it back to the mother. Anything for it to stop making that awful noise.

"This is a human boy. A birth defect, a badness in blood and genes has caused my mate to produce this thing!" He spat at the child and Paris gaped and stared down at his brother and without thinking he bent to it, before his hands could reach him however Damascus gripped Paris's hair and yanked him back.

"If you touch him you will die. I have dealt with the bitch that bore this abomination! I will do the same to you should you test me."

Damascus's voice was deadly, hatred and menace that frightened Paris so as a young cub resounded in his head.

"Do you - great and wise elders - think me less worthy since I have spawned such a despicable creature?" Damascus asked prowling the circle of elders, looking straight into the eyes of each. "Do you think now it is time for another leader?"

There was a rustling of noise from the gravely voices of the elders and Paris looked up to see his fathers white face was livid with rage, none dared to oppose him but spawning a human child could seriously damage his status.

"It is my decree that this filth die today, if something this vile should cometh from my on lions I would rather be a eunuch then create such monsters. I hereby command that to show my loyalty to our pride I sentence the human to death by the hand of his brother!"

Paris stared up into his father's face and his mind went black with rage, how could his father be so cruel and sadistic? It was then that Paris knew there was something wrong with all of them, he could not allow an innocent to die because of what he had been born. Many a night he had sat and debated with himself the legends of the Katagaria and Arcadian and scenarios played out in his head. Could he kill something that could not harm him, something that had no concept of what it was in the world let alone what Paris was, all because of the way it had been born. He would not do it! Nor would he allow it to be done!

"Never!" Paris roared and bent to scope the child up, as he did so he felt like he had been hit with a battering ram at his side and was knocked to the floor. Paris looked up to see his father in lion form before he charged. The fight that ensued was one of the bloodiest of Paris's life and he had never seen one equal to it in violence and hatred.

"Did you kill him?"

Paris looked up from Aiyanna sniffing at the honeysuckle to see Ariel staring wide eyed at him, her face was so pale and frightened looking, yet her voice was steady and calm. Paris cleared his throat.

"Not that day. I wasn't old enough or strong enough then but I went back after a couple of years, he had moved to Asia with the pride. I cornered him alone down by a river and we fought. I enjoyed killing him."

Ariel shivered, he didn't sound completely sane when he said that but she could not blame him for what he did.

"What … what happened to your brother?"

Paris did not feel the single tear gather on his eyelash until Ariel's finger gently wiped it from his face, he sniffed in a manly way before getting up and striding to the pond.

"I got him out," Paris sounded casual and nonchalant but there was an underlying anguish and guilt in his voice that caused Ariel to ache. "He died. I had no idea how to take care of humans, let alone babies. I came to learn that they are even more fragile then the actual full grown ones. Anyway I was found by a bunch of Arcadians with his dead body, he died during the night -"

Ariel felt her lip tremble, she could see him now laying protectively beside the brother he had fought and killed and got exiled for to keep him alive. She could see Paris's lion form cradling his small human boy to his chest, trying to warm him with his fur.

"They beat me, tortured me, kept me captive, shaved my mane -" Ariel couldn't stifle a gasp, to cut the mane of a lion male was the worst shame and insult to both an Arcadian or Katagaria, she saw Paris wince at the sound. "That's how the rumours of me being a child murdering slayer got about, I've been on the most wanted list ever since, even though I killed every single Arcadian who saw me with my brother's body. They pronounced me insane with the trelosa, a bit like Aiyanna I suppose - but Savitar knew the story, its probably one of the only times he's ever not been impartial. So I was never convicted by the Omegrion."

Paris felt as if he were drowning in his shame, he didn't need to see her face to know her reaction to him now, she must be disgusted by him, he's weakness. He'd told her about his mane being shaved! Why? Thank God she wasn't Katagaria, a lioness on hearing such a story would attack the lion in question thinking she could kill him in a fight because he had been so shamed and even if she hadn't known about the shaving, the fact that he hadn't killed his father then and there would cause her to attack.

Actually when he thought about it the lioness's he'd grown up with would have attacked because he had failed to kill his brother, he would even put big bucks down on betting his mother had willingly let his father take her life to forgo the shame of having produced a human child from her womb.

Shit the world was a crazy place!

All of a sudden he felt so tired, not only was his strength waning from the effort it was keeping him in human form for so long but the brief reliving of the day of his brother's birth, even in memory, left him completely drained. Unexpectedly the strength of two arms encircled his waist and he felt the light pressure of a head resting between his shoulder blades, soft breasts crushed against his spine. Paris looked down at the hands that were crossed over his naval and took them in his own, he moved them up so they were splayed over his heart. A heart that ceased to beat for him anymore, it beat now for Ariel and for her alone, how could she have consumed him so easily? How could she have made him love her so deeply? In literally days he had fallen for her, so hard and fast he was dizzy from it. He wondered whether he'd ever had a choice in loving her because since that first moment he had seen her in the Omegrion he had been captivated. His dormant heart had awakened and tried to claw its way out of his chest in an effort to surrender itself to her care.

Could she ever love him? Would she ever try?

"You know more of me now then anyone on earth has ever known of me," Paris said shivering from the weight of her slight body pressed against his back.

"And I am honoured, Litarian," Ariel purred in his ear, "forgive me for being so hard on you."

Paris turned in her arms and moved his hands to cup her face, his thumbs rubbed over her full lower lip and he was thrilled when she kissed the pad of his thumb.

"I forgot. How are the wounds on your legs?"

"Huh?" Ariel said stupidly, no woman could make a coherent sentence with a guy as handsome and sexy as Paris looking at her like she was his personal Jesus.

"Have your legs started to heal?"

She nodded dumbly and couldn't stop herself from stepping forward into his embrace, he wrapped his arms around her, immediately welcoming her into the fold and shelter of his body. Ariel was finding it hard to believe how easy she had become with him, how her inherent mistrust of all male lions withered away to dust when he was near. The way his eyes had looked when he had told her of his life, the expectant look waiting for rejection in his eyes. It had torn at her, broke down her defences and caused her heart to cry. She wanted to comfort him and make him smile.

God was she pathetic!

Paris pulled back and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, loving that she smiled when he pulled back to look at her instead of frowned, loved that she now chose to caress instead of hit, he breathed in her scent.

"May I sleep with you tonight?" Paris asked quietly, his eyes never leaving her face, he saw the sudden fear and suspicion skitter across her face and waited, her body stiff and her breathing a little uneven, Paris was about to pull back while cursing himself for moving to fast but Ariel hung on. She gripped his vest tightly, bunching it in her fist as if for courage, she nodded.

"Only to sleep, baby," Paris whispered, using a finger to tilt up her chin, "just to be close to you and hold you tonight?"

"That'll be fine," Ariel replied quietly, while she swallowed convulsively to stop herself throwing up with fear. She needed to get over this, she needed to live again. She hadn't known just how much she had needed it until she had met Paris, and now?

Now it wasn't just about need anymore, now it became about want.


	9. Chapter 9

Ariel laughed her cute laugh while they sat on the porch playing poker, many of her younger cousins and in some cases aunts had come out to join in with them. The family all seemed to share the obsession with playing poker for money and for some strange reason the females were the only ones that won, Theo had lost all the money in his wallet and the cash he had pleaded off Ly.

While the day had gone on Ariel had told Paris to change forms, he had been shocked, he didn't think she would ever allow him to be in his true form when she had so much reason to be afraid of it. She had given him a sweet one shoulder shrug and said as casually as she could, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

So Paris had spent the day laying by his mate while watching the games that went on, he was hypnotised by her, the way she moved a strand of wayward hair gracefully from her face with her slender fingers. The way she teased Theo, then look down at him with the amusement of the joke still shining in her eyes and ask him if he were alright. Paris considered himself very lucky to have her and he wanted to find a way to tell her so, but how did an animal communicate that to a human? For all the time he'd spent with human females he had rarely given their feelings and thoughts much consideration once they were out of his presence, he knew very little about what could make them really happy and make them smile. Except for sex.

But he didn't want that to be the be all and end all of his relationship with her, he wanted more then the physical, he knew he wanted her heart and her mind and without it he would forever feel like he were missing a vital part of himself.

Ramirez Fernandez had been an idiot, he had tried to destroy the thing that could bring him the most comfort in the world, the most joy. Sometimes Paris thought people were spoilt with love so they took for granted when they gained another person's heart, Ramirez had Ariel's heart fully and yet he had scorned it. What Paris would have given to be that lion. For someone like him who had only known what it was like to be disdained, respected, feared, maybe even liked when it came to Trey but never once had he been loved, what Ramirez had done was truly astounding.

Paris had transformed at sundown and they played cards into the night by the light of candles that stood in bottles, Paris arched an eye at them.

"What?" Ariel said trying to look offended, "they are bohemian, rather Parisian."

"Are the Parisian's bohemian?" Paris asked, throwing another twenty dollars on the ever growing pile, he would be flat broke by the time this game was finished but as long as he got to spend the night with her, he would have sold his soul.

"The few I met while I lived there were," Ariel smiled fondly, "they were good guys."

"Guys?"

Ariel smiled at the sudden growl in his voice. "You are very insecure, you know that?"

Paris snorted, "so you were in Paris? When?"

"Hmm, early renaissance period and then again later in the 1700's."

"Hmm, I liked the 1700's," he bit his lip as he looked at her, "I can see you there, in the fashion of that time. The belle of the ball, all the women jealous because of your beauty. I hope you didn't get caught up in the revolution."

"No, I left Paris when the trouble started and moved to Austria … I haven't been in Paris for centuries."

"Yet Paris was in you last night."

Ariel paused as her hand went to dip into the bowl of salted peanuts she couldn't contain a shout of laughter as she launched a peanut at him.

"Your so sick," she giggled, Paris continued to laugh with her until they forgot what they were actually laughing about. When they sobered with the occasional outbreak of soft chuckling Paris could not keep his stare from roaming her pretty face, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes so bright. What would it take for her to trust him?

"You liked Paris then?"

Ariel looked up from her hand and nodded., his voice was low and intimate in the night and Ariel wondered if it were her imagination but their was a unfamiliar note in his voice that made her think he was no longer speaking of the famous city.

"Would you go there again?"

Ariel's hand stilled in arranging her cards and she glanced up, his eyes were almost eating up her face, they fixed on her so intense that she could almost feel his caresses on her, hear his thoughts in her own mind. Ariel gave a slow nod.

"Could you ever love Paris?"

Ariel opened her mouth but nothing came out. What should she say? What did she want to say? Her life had spiralled blissfully out of control since he had come into it and now that it was settling she admitted to herself that in her heart of hearts she knew she hadn't been this happy since she was a child - she could only imagine her happiness with him growing. But could she love a person and not trust them? Was it possible? Most people would say yes but when you analysed it the whole point of loving someone - the way Ariel thought of love especially - was that you could share everything with them and never have a shadow of a doubt that they would betray you. She was about to say something - anything to stop the dreadful silence when a noise did it for her. The eye of the tiger ring tone sounded making Ariel jump, Paris didn't take his eyes off her but picked up his phone.

"Excuse me for a minute, its my friend Trey."

He walked a little way away so he could answer it.

"Hey lion, What's happening?" Trey's voice was shouting down the phone over a clashing roar sound in the background.

"Where are you?" Paris demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose, his mind was back with Ariel.

"Ooo, listen your Ariel's mate not mine, so quit the attitude - hold on," There was a shuffling noise down the phone as Trey were moving, Paris heard Trey's voice saying muffled 'excuse me's' and 'can I get there's'.

"Anyway, enough about my exciting life. How's things going with the female?" Trey said a little breathlessly a few minutes later.

"Her name is Ariel," Paris snapped testily and sighed, "and there going … good, I guess."

"You guess? Shit she must be the ice maiden you said she was if she can pass up you. Not trying to boost your ego but most gals do drop their drawers for you without you asking."

Paris ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth, fighting off an abrupt surge of anger.

"Yeah, well I was wrong about her," Paris snapped back, "she's not some mindless bimbo that's impressed by a flash bike and some money."

"Unlucky for you then."

"Do you have anything useful to say?"

"Yeah I do actually. But I'll say it to you in person, see ya tomorrow, amigo."

"What! I thought you said you had to stay in Seattle for a while?"

"Yeah but you know I've got my little gift …" Paris could almost see Trey raising his eyebrows knowingly and Paris smirked.

"Ok but don't turn up on the doorstep, we'll come for you, you get me?"

"Loud and clear, mon capitaine!"

"Are you high?"

Trey laughed and hung up, Paris looked at the phone for a second before shaking his head and returning to Ariel, who was busy packing the cards away.

"If you want to keep playing, I'm game," Paris said coming up behind her, he debated whether or not to slide his arms around her waist, before he could make up his mind she turned to him, her sweet smile blinding.

"I would like to but its dawn now," she hesitated, "and as much as I wan to watch the sun rise with you, I need to go somewhere tomorrow."

"Can I come?" Paris asked, putting on his most innocent, wide eyed school boy look, he saw with pleasure that she might not go for a pretty face alone; but he could still make her melt.

"You don't even know where I'm going, you'll be bored."

"I don't care as long as I'm with you."

Ariel gave a sad sort of laugh, "don't say things like that."

"Why not?"

She shrugged.

"Because it makes you realise how much you might actually like me?"

Ariel paused before walking into the house and stretched out a hand to cup his cheek, "I already like you."

Paris held her hand and let her lead him upstairs.

In her en suite bathroom Ariel brushed her teeth and hair and slipped into her nightie, she had put it on automatically but now she wasn't so sure. It was 100% pure white cotton, perfect for the suffocating warm nights she had to endure, it was a modernised version of a Victorian nightgown, rather plain in a nice way and virginal looking but instead of floor length it grazed mid thigh when she stood still. Also the bust had three buttons but as Ariel had forever had them undone the cotton had loosened and they no longer stayed done up.

Ariel stepped out of the bathroom and moved swiftly towards the bed, only when she had dived in and tucked the light sheet around her did she realise that Paris wasn't in it, he was standing, looking rather lost by the door.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" she asked cautiously, she really wanted him to hurry up or she'd lose her nerve and send him from the room without a choice.

"No, I think I'll sleep outside."

"Why?"

Paris took a deep breath. "I never intended to sleep in your bed, Ariel. I just wanted to know if you'd let me."

"You were testing me?"

"Yes."

She wanted to say something about deception and lying but she couldn't quite muster the energy, he had been testing her just as much as she had him, and why not? He had a lot to lose and things couldn't have been very easy or him the last few days, living in a Arcadian household. Ariel didn't realise she had pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, she lay her chin on her knees while she thought. She did this a lot. The sight she offered Paris was one that stung his heart, he thought he had hurt her.

"I didn't mean to upset you -" he began but Ariel was getting out the bed and walking round it. She came into plain view in that simple yet utterly sexy nightdress and Paris felt his jaw hit the carpet, she stopped in front of him.

"You didn't, Paris," she said softly, then gathering her nerve she pulled him forward towards the bed with her. "You don't have to rest here if you don't want to, but your welcome to share my bed with me."

"You would let me lay beside you while you slept?"

She nodded and climbed into the bed, Paris gulped as the intense emotions swarmed his chest, he flashed down to a pair of white boxer shorts and climbed in beside her. The lights went off on their own, the windows were opened to let whatever breeze there was in, in the dark they stared at each other and Paris knew that this was a pivotal moment.

"Goodnight, beautiful Ariel," he whispered in Greek, then in English, then he kissed he lightly on the cheek before closing his eyes. This way he surrendered to her.

"Goodnight."

Ariel woke from a series of hazy rather erotic dreams about Paris at about eleven o clock, woke was probably the wrong word, it was a time when you knew you weren't asleep but you didn't want to get up either.

_At least you are awake_, a joyful voice that celebrated life shouted in her mind. Ariel turned her head to see Paris asleep, the sheet lay over his hips while the gorgeous expanse of his chest was open for her to look at, his long golden body -

"Your awake," she muttered and Paris opened one eye and grinned.

"I wondered how long it would take you to stop mooning over me and realise Katagaria can't hold human form in sleep."

"I was not mooning over you!"

"Oh so you were just staring at me planning some sort of hideous crime?"

"What like killing you in your sleep?" Ariel said flippantly and Paris gave her a unamused look, she just shrugged.

"That's not funny," he grumbled, "I was thinking more along the lines of braiding my hair and painting my nails."

"Or tying you up?"

"God doesn't love me that much," Paris said, then closed his eyes and shuddered as if imagining it, Ariel moved the pillow out from under her head and whacked him around the head with it, he laughed at her and propped himself up on his elbow so they could talk. Ariel almost sighed, how nice it was …

"So are we late for your meeting today for whatever it is?" Paris asked nuzzling her shoulder with his lips, Ariel hissed and shook her head.

"Nope, its not 'til two, why?"

Paris turned his head to look at the dressing table where a silver tray, identical to the one he'd brought her yesterday morning - damn, it felt like a lifetime ago!

"Breakfast," he announced and Ariel went to spring out of the bed, she was always hungry in the morning, but Paris held her back down in the bed.

"Do I not get a token of thanks for my thoughtfulness?"

Ariel narrowed her eyes at him, "such as?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Ariel made out to sigh in exasperation but tilted her head up willingly to receive, but Paris did not start there. In fact he took his time choosing where he wanted to kiss … when he decided Ariel gave a purr, the soft and warm flesh of her thigh. Paris laughed darkly and ran his hand further up her legs pushing away the flimsy material of her nightgown, her skin smelt darkly seductive, the very soap she used must be laced with endorphins because it made Paris so hard he thought he might come there and then, it literally made his head spin. Or maybe this was the heat produced between mates.

Her skin was pleasantly warmed by a night under the duvet snuggled next to his fur, he trailed his kisses up her inner thigh and when he reached the top he skimmed over her core and to the other thigh to repeat the actions. Ariel gasped, half with disappointment and half with ecstasy, he was playing her body like an instrument, finely tuned and agile fingers, one more caress and she would be making music. Paris slowed his kisses, until in a breathy voice she begged him, he laughed and came to the honeyed curls in the centre of her thighs and gave one long, teasing lick. Ariel's hands fisted in the sheets a moment before they moved to his hair and shoulders, nothing pleased him more then to feel her nails rake his shoulders and her fingers twist in his hair. He lapped longer, deeper, driving her to the brink then pulling back, he didn't need her tell him to know that she had never experienced such an act as this before, Ramirez was a selfish man, Paris would have said they would good odds to assume he was a selfish lover also.

Paris slowly slid his finger inside her, one first then two while he watched her head roll back and forth on the pillow.

"I would awake so every morning," he whispered under his breath before dipping his head back down to torment her again. Ariel screamed out as a release ripped through her that had her sobbing, it was raw and heated and so sublime.

When Ariel's body melded back together again she turned her head to look up at a very smug Paris, he was on his side staring down at her with his head leaning on his hand. Purring with contentment Ariel rolled over so she could rub herself against his naked front, pushing at him they moved together until she was straddling his waist. Breakfast could go cold for all she cared, Paris seemed to be of the same mind because his hands gripped her hips firmly so he could lower them on to his body, his eyes were ablaze, almost swirling like lava from some volcanic eruption. Just as their bodies were about to meet Ly's voice sounded through the door.

"Ariel? A guy called Jack Moses phoned, he said can he bump your meeting up to twelve, I told him go ahead! That okay?"

No, Ariel wanted to scream, it was almost twelve now. Ariel buried her face in the pillow Paris's head lay on and screamed, her muffled voice made Paris laugh though the ache in his groin was a killer.

"There's always tonight, baby," he consoled her, rubbing a hand down her back, it was meant to be soothing but only added to her sexual frustration, it had her arching her back in pleasure.

"There better be tonight," she grumbled and Paris laughed with delight.

"That okay!!"

"Yes, Ly! Not much I can do about it now since you told him yeah!"

Ly muttered something indistinct and no doubt insulting from behind the door and stamped off, she stared down at Paris and her lips twitched.

"Cold shower?"

"Guess so .. Don't think it will help though," Paris added looking down at himself, Ariel laughed and got off him, she looked at the clock and groaned. Paris popped her on the ass and pushed her to the bathroom and trailed through the door with her.

Jack Moses was a lawyer, short, round, balding and serious, he sat behind the desk his eyes occasionally glancing towards Paris then away again, while Ariel explained her plans. Paris scented deep mistrust from Mr. Moses towards him, he also smelt how much Mr. Moses cared for Ariel, he considered her a great friend. What made Paris even more sullen was how much Ariel liked him, it was easy to see in the way she smiled and joked with him, the casual hug they had shared when he held the door open for her.

"So you see, Jack, Aiyanna is technically my niece and since I have custody of her and its likely to be permanent, I want some things signed into her name. I know you can do that for me."

Paris watched Jack's eyes grow wide and he shook his head. "Don't you think your being rather rash, Ariel?"

"No, not at all. Aiyanna needs security, she has that with me. And in the event that I should die she would continue to have it."

"I must advise you as your lawyer and your friend to reconsider this decision. Your giving a large sum of money and property away to an orphan. She is not your blood nor is she really your responsibility by marriage since the unfortunate demise of your husband."

Paris snorted and Ariel's lips twitched, if only Jack knew, Jack's eyes moved from Ariel and settled on Paris who arched a brow.

"And who, sir, are you, that you are privileged to sit in on these proceedings?"

"Jack -" Ariel's voice was heavy with warning, but Paris laid his hand over hers.

"Its alright, Ariel. Mr. Moses here is looking out for your best interests -" Moses nodded but did not smile. "I'm Aiyanna's case worker."

Ariel nearly choked as she tried not to laugh, it was as if he'd announced that he was a woman in drag. Paris could not look less like a social worker if he tried in his black leathers and worn biker jacket. They both saw Jack's eyes narrow, he was insulted they would think he could believe such nonsense and Ariel admitted she would be too. She saw Jack's eyes rest on their hands.

"Among other things," Jack observed with a nasty smile.

"That Mr. Moses is none of your business and you'll kindly not mention that again. As Ariel's lawyer however I trust you'll have the papers drawn up by next week?"

Paris gave a slight mental push and Jack Moses conceded but even under the influence of magic it was grudging.

The rest of the day was spent in peace together back on the ranch, Paris wandered after Ariel in his lion form. When dusk rolled in Paris flashed into his human form making Ly jump, she growled at him.

"Don't do that!"

Paris grinned. "Sorry, where's Ariel gone?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"'Cause I'll pee in your wardrobe if you don't," he said distractedly sniffing at something Faraa had left on the side to cool.

"That's not necessary," Ariel's happy laugh came from the doorway, Paris straightened and when she was close enough pulled her into his arms, she came willingly, even eagerly. Paris took a breath in her hair.

"You look edible tonight, my little lioness."

Ariel arched a cynical brow, she was wearing old fitted jeans and a loose check shirt, the sleeves were rolled up and the tails knotted under her breasts, she hardly looked fit for entertaining.

"I'm not little," she grumbled.

"Ah, but you agree your mine!" Paris sounded so happy that Ariel didn't have the heart to say anything against it. She had thought a lot about their impending D-Day, the likelihood of her mating with him seemed to have increased, in everyone else's mind that is. Even though she liked Paris a great deal, found him caring and funny and lovely to be around the truth was she wasn't dead set on any conclusion. The one consolation she did have was that if they mated and he changed she could always take a leaf out of Ramirez's book and kill him. Could she do it? Definitely. They had a little over two weeks left to go, they liked each other but didn't really know each other. Well, she grudgingly admitted that they had shared intimate parts with each other … could she really ever love him or learn to love him? It seemed so unfair that humans got to meet the person they loved and didn't have a deadline looming over them, damn it three weeks wasn't that long! How could she decide if she wanted to be someone's mate in that amount of time?

Paris tugged her out the door and on to the front porch, in front was parked his Harley, he grinned and pulled her down the steps.

"I can't ride on that thing!" Ariel said before she could stop herself.

Paris turned on her with a practiced look of shock and disappointment, when in fact he was fighting not to laugh, he learnt over his few days with her that if you baited her enough she would yield.

"Your afraid?"

"No."

"I won't go fast if that's what your scared of?"

"I'm not afraid!"

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

"Prove it," he offered her the spare helmet, he knew Ariel figured out that he baited her but he'd already jabbed at her pride, she couldn't let him win. Amazingly enough he loved that about her. Ariel put the helmet on and once Paris was on the bike she sidled on behind him, her arms came round his waist and for a moment he just sat there savouring, the feel of her body pressed so intimately to his, holding him like she wanted him.

"What are you doing?" her voice was sharp and he grinned.

"Just feeling you touch me for a while."

"Oh, I'll touch you alright, right where it hurts!"

"Kinky. I can do that."

He heard her laugh. "You know you might think your funny, Mr. …"

Her voice stopped so abruptly that Paris stiffened, "what's wrong?"

"I just thought," she whispered, "I don't even know your last name."

"All you have to do is ask, Ariel. Nothing I am is a secret from you."

Paris felt her arms tighten and she dragged herself closer to his back, she lay her head on his shoulder, Paris shuddered, "My name is Paris Sebastienne."

He revved the engine and sped off towards the bar to meet Trey.


	10. Chapter 10

Paris held Ariel's hand lightly in his as he led her through the entrance into the main bar area. Immediately he felt the eyes of almost every guy linger on her and he tensed, letting go of her hand so he could curl his arm around her waist, Paris pulled her tightly to him and tucked her into his hip.

"You okay?" Ariel asked, blissfully unaware of the effect she had on the human men, and of his furious jealousy.

"Of course. I'm with you, aren't I?"

There was a beat where Ariel stared at him then she gave him a shy smile and lowered her eyes, she kept them lowered as they walked towards the tables. Paris was glad Ariel didn't know what it was doing to him to see her so shy. Normally cool and composed, to feel her body pressed close to his for comfort was fantastic, he savoured it and was irritated when they were forced to part to sit down.

"Do you come to these places often?" Ariel asked, she held her hands in her lap and looked around, her hand fluttered to hair and straightened it self-consciously. Paris took that hand in to his and rubbed his thumb over her inner wrist, _if only you knew what you did to me_, he thought before he answered.

"Yeah. Before I met you that is."

"And how do I change things?"

Paris paused and looked her straight in the eye, her brow was arched and there was a faint curve to her lips. Paris's mouth curved into a gorgeous grin; wicked and delightful to see.

"I think I like you playing coy, Miss Sophronia," he muttered, leaning into her, "it's a bit of a turn on."

Paris rubbed his lips over hers and felt them yield beneath his, he was about to push deeper when Trey appeared.

"Paris! My son, I have been so worried about you!"

Ariel's eyes widened when a tall, muscular tiger pounced on Paris from behind and captured him in a headlock. They struggled for a bit and Trey dropped a friendly kiss, that still looked very manly, on Paris's head and dropped down in the seat separating Ariel and her mate. Paris flushed when he caught Ariel's eye and cleared his throat.

"Trey this is Ariel, my mate." Ariel refused to respond to the warmth that spread through her when hearing herself introduced as such. "Ariel this is Trey, my …"

Trey grinned.

"Personal pain in the ass?" he supplied before looking at Ariel like he was appraising her.

Ariel gave a polite smile and arched her brow when Trey refused to take his gaze from hers, Trey grinned again and turned to Paris.

"So I would buy you a drink but I guess with your girl here you don't drink anymore."

Ariel knew that Trey had meant it to be a nasty poke at the male ego but when Paris caught her eye they both grinned when remembering their last encounter with alcohol. Like an inside joke they both chuckled and had Trey looking back and forth between them looking bemused and a little irritated.

"I'll get the drinks in," Paris said, getting up from his chair, he winked at Ariel before setting off for the bar, when he was out of sight Ariel dropped her smile and turned to Trey. She could see what was coming and she was going to face it off like she did everything. With raw determination not to be beat down.

"So," Trey muttered.

"So," Ariel echoed, Trey pursed his lips.

"Look, I can't tell you I'm happy about my home boy being tied to a human -"

"Arcadian," Ariel gently corrected and was happy to see Trey pause. It put a bump in the road of his smoothly prepared speech and gave her a slight upper hand.

"Fine. Arcadian. Well, whatever, I don't like it."

"Can't say I cared for it myself when I first found out," Ariel said smoothly and leaned back casually, though her whole body was tense and on alert. Trey, she could see, was the same, ready for action at any moment. There was a small silence where they sized each other up again and Trey was the first to break it.

"From what I hear, you're still not keen on the idea of mating with my pal."

"And who did you hear this from?"

"Paris, of course."

"And how would he know what I'm thinking?"

Trey inclined his head and his eyes, chocolate brown and hard as ice, scrutinised her face.

"You're a cold bitch," he stated suddenly, Ariel didn't miss a beat.

"And you're an ignorant prick."

The grin on Trey's face was back and a line appeared between his brows, he lightly waved a finger in her direction.

"I can't figure you."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"I wouldn't have thought you were his type though," Trey mused.

"Your mate is never about type, it's about whom fate wants to link you with."

"True," Trey conceded, "but then who you fall for is about type. And my boy has fallen for you big time."

Ariel felt her cheeks flush and Trey was privately pleased at her show of emotion.

"I didn't want him to," she found herself confiding and Trey, whose instincts had been honed through hardships of his own, looked past her bloodline and saw a bit of a kindred spirit.

"No, I don't suppose you did." Trey sucked in his breath. "So what is it about him that's not good enough?"

"Who said he wasn't good enough?" Ariel snapped indignantly, looking around to see if Paris was coming back.

"You did, when you refused to mate with him. Is it because he was Katagaria?"

"Partly," Ariel admitted reluctantly, not wanting to lie. She hated liars. "But not the way you think."

"You don't know what I think," Trey said casually, "I don't think you hate the thought of mating with a Katagaria, because then what kind of woman would take a lion cub into her care if she did?"

Ariel arched a shrewd eyebrow and Trey grinned again, the grin faded and he leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees.

"Truth is, it isn't about you being Arcadian -"

Ariel snorted disbelievingly.

"It's not, whatever you choose to believe. My problem is simply this. I've known Paris ever since God was a child; it's been a long time between us. And I know him well, you feel me, female? This boy don't go to just any woman and lay down his heart for her, mate or no. He's been careful his whole, long lonely life about getting close to people, women are a no go area for him. When he gets with one, he uses his body not his heart."

Ariel didn't want to hear about Paris with other women, it brought a painful ache to her chest. But she wanted to hear what Trey had to say.

"With you it's different. Not just because you are his mate. He has something inside him for you and I don't know -" Trey leant back, "I'm thinking it's a bit of a gamble."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ariel demanded, rather offended.

"A were-hunter is no stranger to pain and we all know loneliness at one time or another. Paris, he knows both. And I always envisioned him with a woman who would know where she stood when all that pain and loneliness came crashing down and it was too much for him to bear."

Ariel gave him a cocky look. "What you think I can't take pressure, that it?"

Trey shrugged tauntingly.

"You think I won't stand?"

"Well, you're a pretty little thing -" Trey began and that goaded her past all endurance.

"You listen to me, Tiger. I may be decorative but I'm as hard as nails and tough as old boots, I can and will stand through anything anyone, mortal and immortal alike, could throw at me. What I call my own is my own and I love and cherish it unconditionally. Absolutely. Without any equivocations. Period!"

Ariel sat back breathing heavy, stunned at what she had just admitted, not only to Trey but herself, Trey's grin was a mile wide.

"That's all I wanted to know."

Ariel sneered at him and leant forward.

"The question is," she said with deliberate emphasis on her words, her eyes boring into his. "Would _he_ do it for me?"

"In a heartbeat," Trey answered immediately and Ariel sat back feeling like she wanted to hit Trey, they were locked in a staring match. Until Trey's lips twitched and Ariel gave in to the ache in her jaw and smiled at him.

*********************

Paris came back and saw Ariel smiling at Trey who was grinning stupidly back; he clenched his teeth together and made himself relax his hands that were close to shattering the bottles. He knew Trey would never betray him, he knew Ariel would rather cut off her own arm then go near a Katagaria male; she barely tolerated him for Artemis sake. But his heart pounded out of control when he saw he gifting Trey with her beautiful smiles, he set Trey's beer down on the table with a hard clink and deliberately forced himself between the two, slinging his arm around Ariel's shoulders.

"You two getting on fine?" he asked.

Ariel looked up at him and nodded, Trey raised his bottle slightly in agreement and winked at Ariel, Paris was pretty sure his jaw cracked. Ariel put her bottle down and stood up, Paris gripped her wrist.

"Where you going?"

Ariel frowned slightly, "if you must know the restroom. Can you look after my drink?"

She moved away from the table and through the crowd of dancers to the ladies room, Paris watched her out of sight and stared long after; Trey clearing his throat pointedly had him looking back. The tiger was smiling smugly.

"What?" Paris snapped belligerently.

"How the mighty have fallen," Trey sniggered.

"You're a dick!"

"What? This is a new experience for me, I'm allowed to be the slightest bit immature about this. Not every day my best friend gets mated."

Paris fiddled with the label on his bottle, not looking at Trey he muttered, "not yet."

"She still not …"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"She has reasons … Good reasons."

"Good enough to send you into a life of unending celibacy?"

"Trey -" Paris growled a warning.

"I'm just saying!" Trey held his hands up in surrender, they fell into a silence. Paris could see Trey's lips twitching; he waited for Trey to open his mouth.

"You like her?"

"I love her," Paris said it starkly, without embellishment and Trey cursed under his breath.

"But she don't love you?"

Paris didn't let Trey know how deep those words cut him, he took a sip of his beer while he shook his head.

"You know …" Trey drawled with deliberate evasiveness, "you could always disssspppoooossseeee of her -"

"Don't make me kill you, Trey!" Paris barked abruptly cutting Trey off, making a grab for his collar.

Trey jerked back laughing mischievously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay it was a bad joke. Okay, I'm sorry, I'm a jerk. Hey, I'm from New York!"

Paris rubbed a weary hand over his hair and Trey felt the rather familiar feeling that he had pushed the joke too far; he leant forward so he didn't have to shout over the sudden surge of music.

"What's up, man?"

"It's her. I - Trey, damn it, don't smirk like that - I'm so in love with her. I really don't know what to do."

"Have you told her?"

"No," Paris looked at Trey as if he were insane; he clucked his tongue in a hopeless manner. "She'd freak out if I did. She doesn't want me, she doesn't need me. I thought just mating with her would be enough, but it really isn't. Not enough by half. When I think of what she's been through it makes me sick, if only she'd I don't know, let me help. Maybe …"

"So you want to … save her?"

Paris felt his insides squirm; he refused to look at Trey.

"Well, you know, sometimes people need saving," Trey said, putting his bottle down. "Sometimes people need to be given something to believe in again."

"Yeah. I don't think she'll ever believe in me."

"How do you know?"

"I can't ask her, I just can't. I can't push her into something just because it will affect me if she doesn't make the_ 'right'_ decision. I love her too much to betray her like that."

"Even at the expense of your life, your happiness?"

"There is no happiness without her, Trey, no real life. You think what we did for all those years was living. Man, it doesn't even compare. Not to the feeling you get from being with her."

"The feeling _you_ get. Not me, bud," Trey said shuddering, "she's too …" Trey shrugged under Paris's withering glare and took a long draught of beer.

"I don't want to upset you … but -"

"What?"

"Do you know how gay you sound?"

Paris slapped Trey on the back of the head and they both fell into an easy silence watching the pool game to the side of the bar.

*************************

Ariel felt tears blur her vision, she hastily blinked them back and hitched a smile on to her face and walked back to Paris and Trey. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on their conversation but she couldn't help it. Ariel had gotten the feeling from the way Paris talked about Trey that they were close, and then the scene Trey had caused when they had first been introduced only confirmed it. She was ashamed of herself that she had entertained the idea that they could have been plotting her demise while she was in the bathroom. But when she had come back and tuned into their conversation she had felt her heart blossom and she'd wanted to curl up and purr. The burning desire to grab Paris and kiss him senseless was flaring inside her, she wanted him now, at home and in bed, but he deserved something first. Something sweet.

She smiled to herself as she made her way towards the table, she sidled up behind Paris and slipped her arms around his shoulders, Paris jolted at the unexpected sensation.

"Hey," she breathed in his ear before she kissed it, "do you dance?"

Paris's throat had gone so dry that he had to clear it several times before he could speak; his body had hardened to the point of agony and was straining painfully against his zipper.

"I - um - I … No, not really."

Trey laughed so much he choked on his beer, Ariel smiled slyly at Trey before leaning further into Paris, pressing the length of her body against his spine. She run a hand through his golden hair, sweeping it tenderly back from his ears and neck, it brought him out in chills, making him lean his head towards her hands.

"Come on," she urged, "they've changed the song now, everyone can slow dance."

She rubbed against him like a cat and Paris thought he might just go up in flames, he was going to jump her there and then, he just knew it. Then she dove in for the kill.

"Please. For me?" And he was lost. Resigning himself to humiliation Paris got up; leaving his beer with Trey and Ariel led him by the hand onto the dance floor. Once there Ariel turned to face him, she stepped closer, holding one hand while the other played gently with the curls at the back of his head. She smiled up at him and Paris, using the hand on her waist, pulled her even closer, they began to sway and move on the spot, and it felt good.

"This isn't so bad, is it?" Ariel giggled and Paris smirked.

"You won't be saying that when I accidentally crush your foot."

"Well, I have you to take me home, on that very sexy bike of yours."

Paris wasn't sure how to take Ariel's sudden need to touch and flirt with him, he loved it but it also made his chest ache, knowing that as right as it was, they would never be mates. She would never accept him as her mate or husband and that was killing him. Refusing to surrender to the grief that was about to overwhelm him, Paris closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Ariel's.

"What is it, Paris?" Ariel murmured, "why are you hurting?"

Paris wanted to cry, so he laughed instead and kissed her forehead before urging her to lay her head on his chest, she did so willingly.

Paris shifted and Ariel felt his huge erection brush her stomach and she grinned into his shirt, she kissed the centre of his chest and hummed along to the song. The house band, which was actually very good, crooned out their rendition of Phil Collins and Genesis, Follow you follow me.

"I could stay like this all night," Paris murmured and put the hand he was holding around his neck, so he could slide both of his around her waist and hold her close.

"We could, you know," Ariel laughed quietly, "just dancing the night away. _Stay with you, will you stay with me …. All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now, fading away_."

Paris hummed with her too.

"Hey people," Trey's voice broke them apart, he had his jacket on, "I'm gonna head off now, 'kay?"

"Sorry, we left you at the table -" Ariel began but Trey cut her off with a kind smile.

"Forget about it. It was lovely meeting you, Ariel Sophronia," Trey said charmingly, before kissing her hand. Paris growled and Trey just turned to him with a taunting smile before pulling Paris away from Ariel and whispering in his ear a moment, then he waved at Ariel and walked out.

"What did he say to you?" Ariel said when Paris came back to her arms, Paris shrugged.

"Nothing to worry about," he kissed her nose and grimaced as the band took a break and someone had the juke box playing Eve's Tambourine. "Now, lion woman, teach me to dance!"

Ariel cracked out a laugh that had people turning to stare with smiles on their faces at the young couple, that looked as happy as two newly weds could.

When they stumbled home it was almost two o clock in the morning, Paris's feet were killing, biker boots were not good for dancing in, that was a fact of life. Ariel pulled him out into the garden, the soft lights nestled in the plant pots on the patio, glowed with a soft blue and Ariel twirled out of Paris's arms with a gleeful laugh.

"Should we go to bed?" Paris asked, smiling when a curtain upstairs twitched, Ariel's smile was brighter then the moon and stars put together. She wrapped her arms around Paris's neck and lifted herself so her legs wrapped around his waist.

"I would like that very much."

Paris wasted no time with the stairs and flashed them immediately to Ariel's bedroom


	11. Chapter 11

Paris and Ariel stumbled and bumped their way into her bedroom, Ariel was still wrapped around Paris's body, her mouth fused to his. Paris shut the door with his mind and let Ariel slide down his body, causing a delicious yet agonising friction against his erection. He pushed her back towards the bed, stripping his jacket then his t-shirt off as he went, when the back of Ariel's legs hit the mattress he stopped. His head lowered yet his eyes fixed unblinking on her face; he looked like the lion he was, spotting prey on the hunt.

"Undress for me," he demanded in a ragged voice that caused Ariel to shiver. Ariel's shaky hands went to the knot in the shirt tails beneath her ample breasts; Paris caught his bottom lip between his teeth letting it out slowly when the material came loose. Ariel watched the action feeling her body go up in flames, heat and wet pooled low in her body, her nipples hardened and all she could think about was Paris taking her. She started to slip the buttons from the shirt.

"Faster!" Paris growled, and a fissure of fear went through Ariel, she closed her eyes and pushed it down, before dropping her hands.

"No," she said simply and they stared at each other for a moment, which was the longest in either of their lives. Paris pounced, taking her down hard on the mattress, his tongue thrust into her mouth the same way his body wished to do as he rocked his hips in the cradle of her thighs. Ariel's muffled cry was quashed under the violent assault of her lion's mouth. There was a loud ripping noise and Ariel knew the shirt had been torn in two, using the remaining material that was still locked around her arms, Paris clamped Ariel down. His mouth marauded from her lips, down the sleek, elegant line of her throat to where her breasts waited for him, her nipples peaked and ripe and red, begging for his attention. Paris claimed them with a growl, biting down, Ariel gave a half scream edged with pain but drenched in pleasure. She wanted more; the lioness in her demanded it.

Ariel managed to pull her arms free and fisted her hand in his hair, pulling his head up to face her, he pulled away with a ferocious snarl.

"I want to touch you," Ariel breathed, she tried to roll over with him but he refused to budge, instead he thrust up, his cock hard and hot through the denim. Ariel cried out his name, her nails raking over his back. Paris pulled back slowly, his fingers sliding over her bared breasts, the soft, naked slope of her stomach until they came to the edge of her jeans. Curling his fingers over the waistband, he gave a ruthless tug and tore them from her body. Ariel had never been handled quite this way before and she almost came from it. Her body no longer had a mind of its own and as the pants came away her legs flopped open, her body begging for him.

Paris grabbed her thighs, his fingers leaving bruises upon her skin, he pulled them open wide, knowing what he was going for, knowing what he wanted.

"Tell me you want this!" he ordered her, a menacing look on his face that only made Ariel hotter. Ariel sat up, licking her lips she took his hand in hers and slowly trailed it up her thigh, it reached the waistband of her panties and she slipped his hand inside. Paris moaned when his fingers came into contact with her slick feminine heat, without preamble he plunged on inside her and Ariel screamed. Working her exquisitely, Paris took his time to watch her, her skin flushed with her pleasure, her mouth open, her eyes shut, her hips rolling against his hand.

"Do you like that?" he murmured, slipping another finger inside, he leaned over so he could bite her ear. "Say you want more. Say Paris, I want you inside me!"

Ariel hissed out the words and her body began to spasm, her orgasm inches away, Paris pulled his hand from her, ripping away the purple lace as he did so. He got to his knees staring at her swollen core; he made his jeans vanish with a thought while he took hold of her calves.

Pushing her legs up and back Paris kept his eyes on Ariel as he bent his head to taste what he claimed as his. Even should she reject his claim, there could be no one else, no one he wanted to give more to, and no one he'd sacrifice more for. She was his one, she was his only.

"My one. My only," he muttered before his mouth engulfed her, Ariel made a sound so erotic that Paris felt his cock twitch and he almost came. Catching hold of one of her legs he spread her wider, his tongue reaching out its whole length to touch her secrets and pleasure her. He worked it faster until she was moaning and writhing, her hands clutching his head closer all the while going back and forth between begging him to stop and pleading with him to go on. With a scream she came, her nails raking so hard upon his back they drew blood and Paris bit hard on her inner thigh to stop himself releasing upon her floor.

He stood then, his body thrusting out aggressively in front of him, aching terribly and she was the only cure. The lion in him was absolutely roaring for supremacy, calling for his right to dominate and fulfil his mate. Sensing this wildness Ariel smiled wickedly before swiftly turning and almost making it off the bed, but Paris, too far gone for play, flattened himself over her, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. One hand slipped under her to massage where she began to ache so badly, her juices saturating his probing fingers, with the tip of his erection he stroked her entrance. Ariel cried out as if in pain, her feminine channel hollow and needing to be filled.

"Please Paris, I need you!" she shouted out wildly, her hips grinding against him, he was torturing her and he well knew it; he loved it. The domination, the need, the wild insatiable hunger and the love, a heady combination that made him roar.

He hauled her up to her hands and knees and whispering her name thrust into her hard from behind, Ariel threw her head back roaring, behind her Paris's hips moved like pistons, each stroke harder and rougher and deeper then the one before. Ariel gripped the edge of the mattress and crying out her mate's name, she disintegrated into thousands of sparks, and still he went on plundering her body, owning it. Ariel collapsed on to the mattress and Paris went with her, holding himself up on one arm he continued his hard thrusts, watching his body working in and out of hers, loving the way Ariel cried out with each one. He watched her biting her bottom lip as the after shock from her first orgasm built up into a fully fledged inferno and she began her second one. The tightening of the already tight fist of fire that enclosed his body was too much for Paris to bear, he could hear Ariel sobbing with pleasure; see the tears on her face. Closing his eyes he imagined himself saying the ritual words to her and with that he came with one last powerful and slightly brutal thrust.

Ariel trembled as she felt his hot seed spurt inside her and then his exhausted weight falling on her momentarily, pulling out of her and rolling away. Ariel was too worn out to move, but she didn't want to feel his heat dissipate, she turned her head so she was looking at him. He lay on his back with his eyes closed, panting through his mouth, his skin was slick with sweat and his honeyed hair clotted in ringlets over his forehead. She wanted him all over again. His legs dangled off the edge of the bed that they lay across horizontally, she would never be able to look at their bed in the same way again.

She stilled. Her heart that had been returning to normal picked up again - it had gone from hers to theirs. The strangest thing was she wanted to smile. Why was she so calm, so accepting of it all of a sudden? Fixing her eyes on Paris one more she could have sworn what she thought was a bead of sweat actually rolled out from the corner of his eye. Her own throat tightened, she was causing him so much pain.

"Paris?"

Immediately his eyes snapped opened and he cleared his throat, turning to her straight away, his hand finding the small of her back.

"Yeah baby?" Ariel closed her eyes and waited for the butterflies licking the walls of her stomach to settle. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Ariel smiled at him and shook her head as well as she could with her cheek pressed into the duvet.

"Will you hold me?"

Paris's eyes deepened to a darker gold and he flashed them into a vertical position in the bed, with the sheet pulled over them, his strong arms wound around her tightly, with his thigh nestled between hers. Ariel sighed contentedly and kissed his bicep, no doubt they would have a round two any minute now but she was content to just be held by the lion that she unconditionally, absolutely, unequivocally, loved.

Paris knew Ariel had fallen asleep by her breathing, they could both have done with another few rounds but Paris had held out, happy just to hold her. He realised his deadline was fast approaching, he kept telling himself he had this many days or that many days, but truth was he had nothing until this beautiful woman took him in her arms and told him she wanted to belong to him. The sex had been mind-blowing and rough, he'd wanted to take it slow but as soon as she looked at him a certain way he went out of control. He wondered in a dark part of his mind whether she thought of Ramirez when they made love, whether she wished it were him. When Trey had left the bar earlier he had whispered in Paris's ear. _Win her_, he'd said.

How do you win someone who refuses to be won, to be the prize? Did she not realise how she had changed his life? Had he changed hers? What would happen when they were forced to part? The worry was making him feel physically sick, so he pushed it from his mind and would look at it tomorrow. Leaning over her he began to whisper in Ariel's ear, words that flowed through his mind from the days when he had been a callow youth.

"_I won't think of you any longer, though my heart will call for you all my life._

_But I will dream of you in trouble sleep, and I will yearn for you on sleepless nights_."

Ariel frowned in her sleep and made a protesting noise before snuggling closer to him, Paris exhaled dejectedly before curling around her body and shifting forms, his heart already aching.

**************************

Paris awoke the next morning and saw his paw lay limp on cold sheets, Ariel was already up and dressed - and he was already missing her. It irritated him slightly that he needed her so much when she seemed to get on fine without him, not bothering to change forms he just lay in the bed, with the sun streaming through the open window. He closed his eyes and thought about last night, it had all felt so perfect yet the weight on his chest marred what had been the best night of his life. He thought about later when they had made love, when she had asked him to hold her …

The sound of footsteps approaching the room had Paris raising his head and looking around; Ariel pushed open the door carrying a silver tray that he had brought her breakfast up on. She looked surprised when she saw him.

"You're up already," she said, placing the tray on the empty side of the bed, then placing her hands on her hips, "I wanted to surprise you."

Paris flashed into his human form and sat up, he saw Ariel rake him with a hot gaze and immediately his groin jerked.

"You did," he muttered, breaking off a piece of bacon and stuffing it in his mouth. "Why are you up so early?"

Ariel waved her hand vaguely at the tray before scooting up on the bed so she sat opposite him. She looked delectable in a thin black dress with white flowers on it; her blond hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and strands escaped to hang around her face.

"Just to make me breakfast," Paris grinned cheekily, "I must have scored major points with my performance last night."

Ariel laughed, "You didn't do too badly," a blush was creeping up her face and she scratched the back of her neck before grinning at him. "By the way I'm thinking of getting up early all the time if your voice is always as sexy as that in the morning."

Paris laughed then sobered, Ariel noticed this and stiffened.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her hand touching his knee through the sheet. Paris blew out a breath and looked at her with sorrowful eyes. He reached up and smoothed his thumb over her cheek.

"I'm in deep, Ariel, I'm in real deep."

"I don't understand …"

"I'm in love with you. More then I ever thought it was possible to be in love with someone. You're … well, you're the only one. You'll only ever be the only one. But I can't stay when I know how this is going to end, because it'll only hurt more -"

Ariel opened her mouth to speak but he cut over her.

"Baby, I'm not trying to emotionally blackmail you into anything. Please, don't think that. I wouldn't want you committing yourself to me if it wasn't with a full heart. But … ah, I ah, I can't leave here in a few days time, with all that's between us. I can't just live out my life like that. So the way," Paris cleared his throat and blinked hard to clear his eyes. "The way I figure is if I leave now, then I cut you off completely, it'll be best for everyone concerned."

Ariel didn't realise she was crying until a tear fell on her hand, she wiped it away and stared long at the wet mark she made there. Why had it taken them so long to find each other, she hadn't a clue. But she would be damned if she'd let him leave her.

"Well," she began swiftly, "I respect your decision but I was wondering if first, before you leave, you could listen to a solution of mine."

Paris gave an exasperated sigh before nodding and Ariel smiled. "Good."

She crawled up his body and straddled his waist, knocking the tray over as she did, she laughed at Paris's shocked face before wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering in his ear.

"Mate with me."

****************************

Paris wasn't entirely sure he had heard right, Ariel laughed at the slightly dazed look on his face before kissing him hard on the mouth.

"Will you?" she asked again, rubbing her body intimately against his, Paris put firm hands over her hips to stop her. Ariel's smile became softer as she stared at him. He was so beautiful to her, whoever could have though such a beautiful man could be so deep and wonderful?

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long, Paris," Ariel whispered, she stroked her hands over his broad shoulders, her stomach churning nervously at his prolonged silence. Her hands slid over his abs as she began to speak in low, compelling tones that had Paris closing his eyes so he could block out everything but her voice.

"If … If living here is too restrictive then we could leave or -" she faltered, she could do better than this, gathering her courage she looked him in the eyes. "I really, really love you, Paris. I would be honoured if you would accept me as your mate."

Paris felt his grin almost break his face it lit up so fast, clasping his hand around the nape of her neck, he pulled Ariel forward and kissed her senseless. Joy the likes of which he'd never known before was rocketing through his system, his hands flew down to her buttons and began to pull at them. Ariel pulled back with a grin and moved his hands aside; she got off the bed and gave him a light kiss.

"Eat your breakfast," she said about to stroll out the room, Paris shot out of the bed and caught her waist, spinning her round, he clamped his arms around her.

"I thought you said -" he began but she cut him off with a quick, scorching, utterly unsatisfying kiss, she pulled back nipping his lips.

"Tonight."

"Tonight?" Paris echoed, still trying to get his hands up her dress, laughing she pushed his hands away. "But -"

"I want it to be special," Ariel said in a sweet, coaxing voice, slipping her arms around Paris's neck, Paris immediately began dragging her back towards the bed.

"It will be -"

"No," Ariel said firmly, ducking out of his arms and running for the safety of the door, she faced him with a brilliant smile. "Wait for tonight, baby. You'll find it's worth it."

It was the quickest hard on he'd ever got in his life and Paris was about to call Ariel back to see if she could help him do anything about it when he stopped himself. If she was holding out for tonight he could match her restraint any day, laughing he walked into the shower.

**************************

Paris couldn't quite get himself to calm down throughout the day; he kept finding himself following Ariel around the house. Ariel, who had noticed this, had a small, mysterious smile on her face that was driving Paris crazy. The clock on the wall was literally snailing along, and Paris couldn't help himself from looking at it and thinking how many hours until sundown. It came to seven o clock and the sun was halfway below the horizon, Paris could feel his body buzzing with excitement and a little bit of fear. In a few hours he would be mated. He, Paris Sebastienne, who had never thought to love another, let alone mate, was standing in front of a mirror staring at himself. He wanted to find something physically different about himself, some outward show that reflected the phenomenal change within.

"What are you doing?"

Paris looked behind him in the mirror to see Ly staring at him, wrinkling her nose, as though he were doing something distasteful.

"I'm waiting for a bus," Paris said sarcastically, though he could feel a blush threatening to creep up his neck and face at having been caught gazing at himself. Ly's face screwed up even more and she made a disgusted noise. "Where's Ariel?"

"Lost her have you?" Ly retorted nastily, Paris gave her a questioning look.

"What's up your ass?"

"You're such a pig!" Ly said disgustedly.

"I am extremely offended by that, okay," Paris said sternly, trying not to laugh, "I am king of the jungle, how dare you compare me to the first step of the food chain!"

Ly looked unimpressed by Paris's attempt at a joke and turned with a dramatic swish of dark hair and walked out of the hallway into the kitchen. Paris frowned and followed her; he leant against the door frame and watched her stomp about the kitchen. She ripped open and slammed shut the fridge door with more force then was called for; she threw the box of eggs on the counter, breaking some in the process.

"Ly, what's wrong?"

Ly looked around and her face was soaked with tears, she put her head in her hands and sobbed like her heart was breaking. Paris had not been brought up amongst hormonal women and was completely out of his depth, he ripped off a paper towel and handed it to her, and she took it with a hiccup.

"Are you okay?" Paris tried again, trying to gentle his tone and make it sound concerned rather than bewildered. Ly sniffed and rubbed her eyes, looking very young as she did so, she nodded.

"What's upset you?"

"Because of her!" Ly muttered mutinously, Paris looked around for said 'her'.

"Who?"

"Ariel!" Ly cried angrily and hiccupped again, immediately Paris felt his lion side snarl and make ready for attack in defence of his mate. He pushed it down and tried to act re-spon-sib-le, the word even sounded strange in his mind.

"What's Ariel done?"

"Oh, what hasn't she done?" Ly muttered viciously, "First she takes over the pride from my father when it rightfully should have passed to me and then to my mate. Then she goes and rescues the psychotic lion and brings it to live with us. Then there's you!"

"What did I do?" Paris asked indignantly, he had never really warmed to Ly, but he always had a feeling that perhaps after long term exposure to her, she might grow on him …. Eventually.

"Oh, as if you didn't know! She thought she was miss high and mighty before and now you've come along everything anyone ever talks about are you and her! The golden couple!"

Ly was literally spitting venom and Paris felt his hackles rise. Ly represented a side of Arcadian's and humans in general that truly made his teeth grind. It was that inconceivable jealousy! Instead of being happy that Ariel, the person that was able to keep their pride afloat when they were leaderless, had found her mate, Ly was pissing and moaning about her getting so much attention.

"What is wrong with you, you spoilt, selfish cow!" Paris snarled, his words vibrating with a growl.

Ly was shocked into stopping crying and she hiccupped as she stared, wide eyed at Paris.

"I can't even begin to explain to you, how much you truly sicken me! As if Ariel hasn't been through enough already and now she's got you harping on behind her back like an ignorant child! Because you're too insecure, stupid and utterly pathetic to be given the kind of respect that Ariel gets and deserves."

Paris let out a breath that rumbled into a growl, his breath was heaving and though he had never struck a female in his life, he could barely restrain himself from running Ly into the wall. Paris and Ly both looked up when they heard the distinct sound of Ariel's footsteps moving along the landing to the stairs with Aiyana trotting beside her.

"Now get out of my sight before I tell Ariel what her cousin really thinks of her. Thank the Gods that Ariel hasn't got just you as family, for that she is truly blessed. But God save her from back-stabbing bitches like you!"

Ly threw him a look of deepest loathing before exiting the kitchen via a different door to the one Ariel and Aiyana appeared through seconds later. Ariel looked around at the mess on the counter tops and raised an eyebrow.

"Hungry?" she asked with a grin.

Paris almost groaned, inside he felt his heart ache for her. His beautiful mate was so suspicious of outsiders and so intent on protecting her family that she forgot to look inward for the liars and traitors. That happy, naïve little smile was so bright, Paris could not find it in himself to hurt her by telling her what Ly had said, perhaps he would tell Theo instead.

"No I found it like this," Paris replied with an easy grin and with his powers made the mess disappear. He held his arms out and Ariel went into them willingly albeit a little shyly, Paris breathed in her scent. They both looked down when they felt Aiyana pawing their legs, Ariel laughed and bent down to hug her; she flicked her gaze up to Paris.

"I think Aiyana is worried we'll forget about her once we mate," Ariel said teasingly and the young lioness purred, Paris smiled and knelt down beside his mate to scratch Aiyana's neck.

"No, we won't. She can just be chief cub sitter when we have our own."

Ariel giggled before turning to look at Paris with eyes that reminded Paris not of ice as they once had, but of deep fathomless abysses. An ocean of many secrets and mysteries.

"I'm so happy," she whispered and Paris felt his heart clench, all thoughts of Ly and Arcadian and Katagaria were gone. His world simply narrowed down to one incredible female.

"I'm glad, so am I."

Ariel risked a quick look at the clock and gave a mischievous grin.

"Nearly time."

Paris rolled his eyes heavenward and clasped his hands as if in prayer.

"Let me just take Aiyana to her room and I'll be back down, okay?"

"Whatever you say."

Ariel smiled and leaned in to give Paris a fleeting kiss that turned his body to fire and flame, she tossed him one last promising look over her shoulder before moving to the stairs and out of sight.


	12. Chapter 12

Paris waited anxiously for Ariel to come back downstairs, he was so randy and impatient that he felt he was about to jump out of this skin. Paris found himself pacing and staring at his reflection in the dark window, he was almost giggling at the thought of what was to come. There was a sound upstairs, a movement, Paris stilled and listened. It wasn't Ariel; he knew her footsteps like he knew the back of his hand, better in fact.

_Where was she?_

Excitement and anticipation turned into trepidation that turned into a fully fledged panic and Paris found his feet carrying him up the stairs. He whisked down the landing hallway and into Ariel's bedroom, his heart was pounding in his temples, she wasn't there!

Paris moved further into the room, he checked her walk in closet and bathroom; he even tried, with some lingering pathetic hope that she was playing a game, under the bed. Paris dropped the quilt back into place with a curse and the small breeze it created caused a note on the bed to flap, Paris lunged for it and ended up lying across the bed on his stomach reading the note, like a teenage girl would a magazine.

_Catch me if you can …_

_Ariel_

Paris's face split into a grin and he set the note aside. His mate was a playful little thing, it was something Paris loved and treasured about her. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pushed himself up from the bed, for a terrifying moment, Paris had believed Ariel had gotten cold feet and chose to cut and run. He raised his head and sniffed the air, her trail was strong, it was deliberate, chuckling to himself he flashed outside to the patio. She wasn't there, but the air was saturated in her scent, the scent of aroused lioness, Paris felt a full body tingle flush his skin. He flashed himself in the direction the scent was strongest and realised Ariel was leading him to the back of her property, he flashed himself a mile or so from her. A predatory smile made his face edge on the wicked side; he gave a dark chuckle when he saw lights in the distance at the base of the oak tree that they had made love under so few nights ago. This time however Paris would be able to relish the experience of making love with Ariel outdoors with a clear and sober head. Paris flashed himself a few feet away from where Ariel had made a delightful little camp for them; it looked like a grotto, a small haven in the middle of nowhere.

Bathed in soft yellow lamp and candle light, Ariel lay on a comfy looking make shift bed, plush pillows and blankets of a feather mattress looked like a nice place to rest while being watched by the stars. Ariel was leaning back on her forearms, dressed in lacy black Victoria Secret lingerie; her long blonde hair was pulled back at the front, just the way he liked it, while the rest was left to blanket her voluptuous mounds, making it look like an attempt at modesty. The affect drove Paris wild; he cleared his throat and moved forward until the toe of his boots touched the end of the mattress.

"This is very …." he searched for a word, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "bohemian."

Ariel gaze a silent laugh, before flicking her hair over her shoulder with a confident movement of her head and body.

"Your late, Literian, its cold," Ariel bit her lip and let her gaze rake him with deliberate slowness. "I wanted you to warm me."

Paris almost looked shy when he scratched his forehead and chuckling.

"I can do that," he said quietly, before flashing himself naked and kneeling down in front of her on the mattress. Ariel immediately leaned up to meet him and came together on a kiss. The movement looked as natural as breathing; it was unstoppable and automatic yet still managed the look of being unarranged. Paris kissed her so sweetly and thoroughly that Ariel didn't want him to stop and complained when he pulled back from her.

"I'll spend the rest of the night kissing you if you want," he laughed quietly, "but can we do something important first?"

Ariel smiled and nodded, "You better do more than kiss me for the rest of the night."

"Don't worry, love, I'll be more then happy to service you," Paris replied while they changed positions. Paris laid himself back on the mattress and Ariel straddled his waist, he moved his hands lightly up Ariel's smooth, golden thighs, all the while staring into her beautiful face. His fingertips met with the skimpy lace and he smiled, fingering the flimsy material Paris looked quirked an eyebrow.

"Haven't you forgotten something rather vital?" he said pointedly, plucking at the elastic so it pinged back on her skin, Ariel laughed. "Can't very well claim you as my mate with these in the way, can I?"

"Take a closer look," Ariel suggested with an impish smile, Paris looked down and let out a sound between half sigh half growl.

"Crotchless panties," he whispered in reverence, if he was hard before it was nothing to now, Paris felt like he had a hot, iron bar replace a certain member of the anatomy. "I want this off though."

He flicked the front catch on the bra and sighed with satisfaction when her breasts were released, the bra floated away into the darkness and Paris brought his hands up to play gently with her. Ariel arched her back slightly and gave a little moan.

Ariel couldn't believe she was doing this again; she was actually going to mate with him! Her first mating experience had been nothing like this, it had been quick and rather fast if she were perfectly honest, at the time she had thought it just the way things were, she had been very naïve. Ramirez hadn't treated Ariel with half as much care as Paris had; he had been brutal throughout their brief mating and as it turned out evil and ruthless.

Before memories could swamp her, Ariel focused on Paris's eyes, liquid gold in the candle light, he looked up at her as if she were something divine and holy, the nagging doubt was still there but pushed into the back of her mind. She refused to let it have free reign. She felt Paris take his hand from her breast that he was kneading so exquisitely and capture her hand; he kissed the mating mark before sliding his fingers through hers. Ariel felt her breath catch when her palm began to heat up.

"Ariel, if you want to back out now's your chance," Paris murmured, his own eyes filled with fear, but he gallantly forced the words out.

_Yeah, now's your chance_, the doubt in her mind said, Ariel felt Paris's fingers loosen on her hands and his eyes slid away from hers. The molten gold began to cool and she just could not have that. Ariel gripped his hand and slammed her body on to his, surprisingly enough his body slid easily into hers, with no discomfort; but then that wasn't surprising because she seemed to get wet just looking at him.

"You think I'm going to let go of you, Literian? When you've just said something like that to me?"

Paris gasped and Ariel began to gently move her hips, taking a deep breath she spoke her part of the ritual.

"I accept you as you are, I always hold you close in my heart. I will walk beside you forever."

***************************

Paris heard the last of her words echo in his ears, the brief fear and indecision he'd seen flicker over her face was bravely being pushed away and replaced by raw determination to see it through.

Paris couldn't be more proud or more humbled by someone, he smiled at her even though his eyes filled a little, he used all his control not to make them fall.

'_I will walk beside you forever'_

Gods of Olympus, he hoped so! He wanted her with him always and forever, he wanted to love her and make love to her, he wanted to fight with her about family and about the names of their kids or that he'd been out too late with Trey. He wanted to lose all his money to her in a poker game and drink wine on a beach with her until sunrise. He wanted to make her promises under red sunsets and keep them on rainy days. He wanted her cursing him to hell when she was in labour and hear her passionate cries in the throes of love making. He was obsessed and greedy for her because he wanted all! The hardest thing in the world was for him to keep his hips still but it had to be her choice, she had to ride them through this, Paris repeated the vows back and immediately felt the pain of the _thiro_.

Ariel watched him arched beneath her, hissing fiercely as the pain racked his body, it was awful and frightening to watch, they locked eyes for a moment and Ariel took a deep breath but did not say a word. She didn't need to, Paris did it for her.

"Do you want to?" he asked gently, even though he was in so much pain, Ariel choked on a sob and found herself nodding. It was exactly what she wanted.

Paris sat up under her, her body still locked around his, he moved her hair away from her neck and winding his arms round her, he pulled her close. Almost the way one would tenderly hold a child, like she would break.

"Thank you," Paris whispered in to her neck and Ariel wanted to cry even harder, not through fear or sorrow but happiness and joy. The man was thanking her! He truly was spectacular.

"I love you, Paris."

With that he sank his teeth deep and the biggest, most vivid explosion of pleasure and colour passed through them both. It had them making inhuman sounds as they thrust against each other's body in a wild frenzy of passion. The closeness that they felt was truly unimaginable. It was like being one person, one heart, one soul. Every barrier and prejudice was gone, every thought and feeling was the same. It felt as though invisible string stretched across the space between them and tied them to one another, through their skin the threads bound them tying them closer to each other than their own hearts were to their bodies. Not even the fates could sever it. At the same time both reached the peak of pleasure and the roar from Paris exploded into the night, his powers and hers rocketed, sending the flames of the candles shooting up and whipping around them like a lasso of fire. The feeling faded and left behind a marvellous afterglow, Paris still had his arms wrapped tightly around Ariel; she lay limp and boneless on him. He lay down with her blanketing him, and only when a tickling on his face began did he realise those tears had fallen; turning his face into her golden hair he muttered endearments in Greek. Ariel stirred.

"What did you say?" She pulled back to look at him and delicately kissed away the tears on his cheeks.

"I called you, the one I worship."

Ariel beamed at him and laid down again, her head over his heart.

"That was fantastic," she muttered dreamily.

Paris grinned triumphantly and rolled over so he was on top; he shifted so he wasn't crushing her and lay with his head propped up on his elbow, looking down at her face, while his leg was thrown over hers.

"I guess your stuck with me now," he muttered, holding a lock of hair to his nose, he kissed it, Ariel opened her eyes and grinned.

"No, Paris, your stuck with me. Forever," she added in a sing song voice.

"Not a bad deal as far as I'm concerned," he said thoughtfully, and then gave her a grin nothing short of wicked. "I'm ready for round to, how about you?"

Ariel laughed loudly and rolled with him. They played all night, claiming each other's bodies, talking, laughing, and making wondrous plans. It was, by far, the best night of both their lives.


	13. Chapter 13

Ly stood unseen in the shadows observing her cousin's mating with the Katagaria, hot resentment seared her innards. Poor, shy little Ariel would be mortified to know that Ly had taken to voyeurism, her delicate sensibilities would be crushed if she knew such a personal experience was being looked on by anyone. Ly had conveniently forgotten that Ariel was leader of their Pride for more than being a pretty face. Ariel's love and loyalty to her family had made Ly complacent, she allowed dreams of taking Ariel's mantle to become wild thoughts, that after a long time of thinking on them took on a gleam of realism. There was a distinct possibility in Ly's mind that she would be able to face her cousin off in a fight and exile her from the pride if she won, which seemed more likely by the second. It was only when the Katagaria showed up that those thoughts - that only cropped up in the darkest of rages - turned to ambition.

Ly knew that when she took over as leader Ariel would still be counted as family, for all her jealousy she did suppose she loved Ariel, and even if she didn't Faraa and the rest of the Pride did. That was one of the reasons she had to be exiled, her worshipped status amongst the Pride would only make the transition from Ariel's reign into Ly's harder. Ly wasn't actually sure how she would go about taking Ariel down but those naïve dreams of grandeur had led Ly to believe that when faced with her wrath, Ariel would rather skulk away than fight Ly. That would work better all around, wouldn't it? She wouldn't have to hurt her cousin and she would get the Pride. Only trouble was the others may think she is weak for not killing her opponent or at least maiming her for life, they might not afford her the proper respect she should get as leader.

Tricky, tricky, tricky ….

Ly was lost in malicious thought when Aiyana moved up behind her, she watched Ly's eyes gleam with perverse pleasure as she watched her cousin mating. Aiyana did not like Ly. At first they had seen each other as allies because both of them had mistrusted Paris, but over the days Paris spent with Ariel who Aiyana gladly looked on as her mother, Aiyana had come to accept the Katagaria lion's presence in her life. And Paris wasn't all that bad, he talked to her sometimes when they were alone, he reassured her she would never be separated from Ariel. Which pleased Aiyana immensely, she never wanted to go back to her father again, she'd rather die then go back to that. Aiyana knew in Ly's warped mind that she believed that if she removed Ariel from the Pride she would not only have Ariel's position as leader but her mate as well. Aiyana never credited the Arcadians around her with much brains, except Ariel, but Ariel was blinded by her love for her family. She did think, however, that Paris would sense the pheromones in Ly's body heightening when she was around the him. She assumed he would pick up on something, but then he was so wrapped up in Ariel that he looked at no one else. He stared at her across the room when they wee separated, hated being near anyone else, at first Aiyana had thought it cute now she wanted to slap him. If he wanted to act like a sap when their wasn't a treacherous bitch threatening to bring about all their demises then that was up to him. But since Ly was doing a fatal attraction on him, she really thought his animal sense would kick in. Ly hated Aiyana, but with her fixation for Paris growing by the day her vigilance over her had slipped and Aiyana had taken it as an opportunity to observe the observer. How she longed to tell Ariel, but Ariel would no doubt think she was suffering from the _trelosa_. Aiyana crawled forward, her belly scraping the earth, Ly was still unaware of her presence. In Aiyana's mind, killing the bitch would be best all around, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

Aiyana wormed her body closer, her eyes fixed on Ly's neck, her body wiggled, one paw lifted. Ready, ready …

Ly turned and spotted her and Ly's face went from shocked to smiling in two seconds. Aiyana made a dash for the house and heard Ly hot on her tail, the porch light was almost like a light house for the sailor lost in a treacherous and vast sea. All she had to do was get there and somehow she would be safe, somehow she knew Ly could not do what she planned. The porch was in reach, just a little bit further, all she had to do was keep in front of Ly long enough to get there. Aiyana made a leap for the wooden steps, she felt the roughness of her paws scratch the wood, she slipped, tripped, her back legs pushed and scrambled up the steps. She was there!

Had Aiyana been in human form she would have been smiling brightly with relief, as it was she merely turned and gave Ly a taunting look. It was too much of a risk to attack her in the light, but Ly thrived on risk or so she imagined. She put her new persona into practice and pounced on Aiyana, shifting in midair and landing on her. The two lioness's were around the same age but Ly was that little bit older, and in lion form those few years counted. Ly had Aiyana's squirming body pinned under her successfully in seconds, Ly sank her claws and teeth viciously deep into the young lioness.

_One of the greatest myths in this world is convincing yourself that light can save you from the monsters in the dark._

Aiyana let out a helpless cry when Ly's spiteful, insidious voice pierced her mind, before Ly flashed them off the porch. The night was still and unassuming as if the scene on the porch had never happened, a light breeze swept over the ranch taking with it a light sprinkling of dust that swirled rather magically, almost as if the house was situated back on the savannah.

*********************************

"Ariel Sebastienne," Ariel mused looking up at the stars, her body felt used and limber and wonderful, she had a suspicion that she could possibly be glowing. Paris turned his head so he could smile, his stomach did a flip when he heard her using his last name in relation to herself. They lay side by side, not touching, not really talking much, Paris was just glad that she wasn't having any regrets … well, she didn't seem to be.

"Your happy?" Paris couldn't keep silent, he needed to know. Ariel turned her head so she faced him, her smile was blinding and beautiful, it was practically edging on laughter.

"I'm so high, I'm surprised I'm not airborne," she said and rolled on her side so she could drape herself over her mate's chest. Paris let out a noise half between a groan and a sigh of pure satisfaction and began to hum 'what a wonderful world'.

"So what shall we do now we've become mates?" Ariel laughed, Paris had a feeling she merely liked repeating the word 'mates' out loud.

"I think I'm going to do something special for my mate," Paris muttered capturing her lips with his, Ariel gave a little groan in protest that didn't sound very sincere.

"I don't think I can go another round," she grinned but rubbed herself against him anyway, Paris felt the elation literally lift his heart up and without warning he clutched her to him so fiercely that Ariel struggled.

"Your crushing me," she laughed, pulling back to kiss the tip of his nose, she suddenly seemed caught up in staring into his eyes. Paris searched hers in turn.

"What do you see?" he asked hoarsely and Ariel smiled, her eyes oddly bright.

"I can't wait to have your children," she murmured and Paris forced the ache in his throat down so he could whisper a prayer in her ear, thanking the gods for bringing her to him.

Paris pulled back and kissed her lightly on the lips before getting up, Ariel pouted playfully.

"Where are you going?"

"I have just spent hours making love to you, now I'm going to feed you," Paris flashed a pair of jeans on but left his top half bare. Ariel sat up looking sultry and sexy, she watched him rake his hands through his hair in an effort to tidy the riot of curls that she had run her hands through constantly while they had made love. The sight of him looking so dishevelled and primitive and utterly masculine made her stomach clench.

"Come back quickly."

Paris noted the look in her eyes and felt himself harden, would he ever get enough of her? He doubted it, he knew he'd continue to crave her sexually, emotionally and every other way it was possible to crave her, until they were craggy and old with one foot in the grave.

"You have whipped cream in the house?" he asked and waited for that answering spark of lust and life to flare in her eyes the way he loved, she gave him a mischievous look and laughed when he flashed to the house.

Paris flashed himself on to the porch and tiptoed into the house, he closed the door gently and rummaged in the cupboard, with his huge hand Paris pawed contents out of the way, his head was part way in about to sniff at a box of crackers when he stopped abruptly. His eyes reflecting the light of the moon shining through the window, turning them to green and yellow orbs, Paris turned to stare fixedly at the porch. His keen senses standing to attention, knowing instinctively something was very, very wrong. The scent of Ly and Aiyana was rife in the air, Paris was on the steps in a instant, bending down to examine the scratches in the wood … _What the hell?_

Sending psychic feelers out into the ether Paris zoned in on Ly's power source radiating from far away, he could pinpoint her exact location. Paris clucked his tongue thoughtfully, he should really go and get Ariel, she would want to know.

Paris flicked a glance back at the deep grooves in the wood and felt a hostile chill tingle his spine, from base to tip the feeling was intense. The thought of Ariel being hurt in anyway was completely against his genetic make-up, he would just flash himself over to see what Ly was doing and get back before Ariel got too lonely and came a-snooping.

Focusing once again on Ly's power, Paris flashed himself to where she was. He appeared under the cover of shadows of trees and lush vegetation, stealthily he crept closer and his eyes widened at the sight of Ly holding Aiyana down by the throat. Fighting the natural instinct to rush to the young lioness's aid, Paris stayed put. And watched. And waited.

Paris's nostrils flared and so did the fire aflame in his eyes when Aldo Fernandez stalked out of the shadows opposite Paris's hiding place, biting back a growl and stopping himself launching from his cover and sinking his jaws around Aldo's neck was one of the hardest thing he ever had to do.

"What's this?" Aldo asked politely, though the sneer on his face was anything but. Ly did not straighten from her position on the ground, Paris gritted his teeth against the idiocy of the act. Any good warrior would know that such a position left a fighter at a disadvantage and open to attack.

"I bring you a gift, Signor Fernandez," Ly said in a sweet voice that made Paris want to puke, he watched Aiyana struggle harder then ever at seeing her father. Not caring that she hurt herself in the process, she became wild with fear. Aldo sent a look of loathing towards his daughter then back to Ly, whom he gazed at with a spark of interest now.

"You think to trick me, you foolish human?" Aldo asked with mocking amusement, and Paris saw Ly's smile flicker, she fought to keep it in place.

"Never. In fact," Ly licked her lips nervously and standing up to face Aldo, with her foot pressed down on Aiyana's neck, rushed on, "I've come with your daughter as a token of good will between our Prides."

Aldo let out a booming laugh and Paris tensed when he saw other Katagaria lions emerge from their hiding places.

"You expect me to believe this when it passes the lips of the cousin of my enemy?" Aldo reached out and loosely gripped Ly's throat. It looked pale and fragile under his huge hand. His grip may have not been hurting Ly but Paris was sure from her rapidly increased breathing that she was aware of just what a threat it was. The corralled strength and violence in his grip could very soon turn deadly with the wrong move.

"My enemy too," Ly gasped out fear evident in her voice. "I want her mantle. She doesn't deserve it, she hasn't earned it. It should never have been given to her."

Aldo tightened his grip painfully before letting go, his hand had left print behind that was turning purple as Paris looked at them. Paris wanted to rip Ly apart for her treachery, it disgusted him that anyone could disregard the bond of family so easily … and he was Katagaria so that really was saying something. Never had Paris ever wanted to rip two people apart more, Aldo for what he and his brother had tried to do to his mate and Ly for what she was doing now in her jealousy and selfishness.

"You want to overthrow the leader of your pride?" Aldo asked, even though he kept his voice neutral Paris still detected a trace of surprise and intrigue in there.

"Yes," Ly said breathless with sudden excitement, her dark eyes gleamed wickedly. "Yes, I want her dead. I thought exile before but now I know I want her dead. She has no place in my Pride. The leadership title should have gone to me, instead it was given to that whore my father sacrificed himself for. Roken was my father, I should be leader."

Aldo laughed and Paris too could see the irony. Aldo and his brother had killed Roken, Ly's father, years before while he tried to protect Ariel, now his daughter came to them because she wanted Ariel dead. Paris shook his head in disgust, with every moment that past the bitter taste in his mouth grew until he wanted to spew forth a vile tirade of curses and abuse.

"And how, little Miss, do you propose to do this thing? You want me to kill her? Your clan will be forced to go to war with us. Not that I'm worried." He added quickly as an afterthought. "But there will be no way we can be allies if we wage war between us."

"Leave the handling of politics up to me," Ly said confidently, "You just waste the bitch and I'll make it look like her mate went berserk and killed her and Aiyana."

"Aiyana stays with me, I choose how to do away with my daughter!"

"That's fine," Ly said unctuously, "whatever you want. Then I'll arrange it so her mate takes the blame."

"And who is the unfortunate soul?"

Ly tried to evade the question and Aldo narrowed his eyes on her.

"Who?" he demanded furiously.

"Scared?" she taunted snidely and Paris let the growl that had been smouldering in his throat well up and out, Aldo and Ly both cast looked over there shoulders, oblivious to Paris, who was, in fact standing off to the side of them.

He had seen enough and moved with a deadly lope out of the shadows and into the light to confront the traitor and the soon to be dead ex-brother in-law of his mate.

"You should be scared, dick head!" Paris snarled, Aldo whipped his head around and saw Paris. Like most formidable men, Paris's reputation proceeded him and knowing who he was Aldo looked like he would gladly commit Hara-kiri rather than face the wrath of Paris.

"Paris!" Ly gasped with surprise and dread.

"Ly," Paris curled his lip in disgust, "I give you grade A for treachery there, female. You've outdone yourself."

Ly looked terrified and became as white as a sheet.

"I do not wish to battle a fellow Katagaria, Paris Sebastienne," Aldo became a sycophant and his muscular body and hard eyes became nothing in the face of such a power as Paris.

"Too late for that, Fernandez!" Paris growled, "I've waited long for this. You attack my mate once that alone puts you on my shit list of those to kill. By plotting to do so a second time is an offence to myself and my mate. This time I bring the battle to you."

Aldo swallowed with difficulty as if he had a melon in his throat, Paris kept his eyes on the shifty expressions crossing Aldo's face as he began to sweat profusely, Paris knew what the lion was thinking. At this point in time he could very well be obliterated by Paris, yet if he didn't fight and Paris let him live he would have become a coward in the eyes of his Pride and that simply would not do.

Out the corner of his eye Paris saw Ly slipping backwards into the shadows, with his powers he manifested a cage the size of a elevator around Ly. She shrieked with shock and fear, cowering until she realised what it was, she turned her eyes helplessly to those around her, but none watched with any pity. It seemed they were dreading yet anticipating the blood shed to come.


	14. Chapter 14

Ariel huffed, annoyed that Paris hadn't returned yet, she couldn't help but wonder what in the world he was doing. Unable to stand it any longer and because she was getting cold and achy, laying exposed in the night like she was, not to mention the teeniest bit jumpy. Ariel flashed clothes on her body then flashed to her house. Appearing inside the house rather then at the porch, Ariel systematically searched him in the rooms upstairs first, he wasn't there and she noticed that neither was Ly and Aiyana. What had been annoyance and a feeling of incongruity now became unease and finding Ly's and Aiyana's beds empty only heightened that alarming feeling. Ariel worked her way downstairs in record time and made a quick detour off into the rooms there before going out to the back porch where she caught all three scents strongly. Unease turned to fear, something was wrong, Ariel paused a moment letting he senses flare out, tracking her mate. With a sigh of relief that she had found him Ariel flashed herself to him, terrified of what may confront her. She knew he wasn't dead because she was still alive and kicking, but that didn't mean he couldn't be hurt … badly.

A split second of disorientation blinded Ariel and in that brief moment she felt her body being seized roughly by the arms and pulled against someone. Ariel looked up and saw the face of Aldo Fernandez. A mesh-mash of memories collided in her mind and even if Aldo's hand had not been wound tightly around her throat she would have had trouble breathing. He looked so much like Ramirez Fernandez that Ariel thought there was a possibility that he had come back from the dead, until she drew her eyes from him and saw Paris. Relief so potent that it weakened her knees lifted her spirits high until she heard the cries of her cousin, Ariel flicked her eyes to Ly who was sobbing and reaching for her from behind the bars of a large cage.

"Paris brought me here, Ariel!" Ly shouted, her face red and soaked with watery tracks. "He said he'd kill me if I didn't call you. But I wouldn't betray you, Ariel, you know I wouldn't!"

"You bitch!" Paris snarled at her, a look of hatred and disgust in his eyes, he brought his eyes back to Ariel who had gone sickly white, her face was shocked and fearful as she searched Paris's desperately, her brain clouded with memories of the past and present, of what was and what is.

Paris's own features reflected his own turmoil, a look of utter dejection and disbelief transformed his handsome face into a mask of pain.

"You can't believe that?" he said, his voice shaking with repressed feeling, "surely? Ariel?"

Ariel felt Aldo's body shake behind her with silent laughter, her eyes tears and she let them roam the camp, taking in the scattered debris and slain bodies of Aldo's warriors. No doubt Paris had taken them down. Paris, her mate, her love, bonded with her this very night because in his words he didn't want to live without her. Ariel threw her head back and let out a primal lions roar, in rebounded off every surface and reverberated through the ground. Ariel turned swiftly, surprising Aldo into stumbling back and losing his grip, Ariel swiped her hand, that in a split second morphed into a heavy paw with lethal claws, across Aldo's face laying open his flesh. He stumbled back cursing and swearing violently while doubled over holding his face. Ariel ran to Paris, who tensed not knowing if she were about to attack him also, her face had a blazing look about it, in the throes of mindless passionate bloodlust could she possibly think reasonably? She stopped before him and lifted herself on her tiptoes to give him a brief but hard kiss on his mouth, smoothing away all doubt and insecurity.

"You know me, lion lady," Paris breathed with relief.

"I know you and love you with all of me," she turned to see Aldo, straightening, spitting blood away from his mangled mouth. "Now stay put while I kill him."

Ariel was about to march back into battle when Paris caught her arm and halted her, she turned to him, her face puzzled.

"What -"

"Shush," Paris whispered softly, his words and breath fluttering over her face, "you've fought too long with no one at your back. I'm your mate now, it is my duty and my right - no, its my privilege - to be able to say I have fought for you, my lion lady."

Ariel felt her throat tighten and she nodded, Paris kissed her forehead and walked, or more precisely, swaggered over to face Aldo, who looked faint.

"Prepare to die," Paris grinned cockily before launching himself at Aldo and landing on him in the form of a fully mature lion. Aldo transformed but was still dwarfed under Paris's massive weight and strength and power, the lesser lion struggled and Paris did not toy, he raised his powerful paw, unsheathed his claws and struck a deadly blow. Laying open Aldo's throat Paris roughly and with no respect for the body gripped Aldo between his jaws and dragged it over to Ariel where he lay it at her feet. It was primitive and animalistic but then that was what they were. Her Paris was the epitome of a male Katagaria lion and he had just fought and killed for his mate, in her lion's mind this body before her was his honouring her status as his love, his willingness to fight for her and should it come to it die for her. Paris bowed his majestic head with its huge mane before transforming back to human form still on his knees, naked.

"Rise my lion king," Ariel said with a grin and pulled him to his feet and into her arms, Ariel inhaled deeply in his hair and kissed him through the golden curls. Paris shivered with pleasure, the quickness of the kill and the honour of being able to kill Ariel's enemy had adrenaline coursing through his body, his skin felt sensitised and tingly. The thought of taking Ariel home to bed tried to scramble to the forefront of his mind but he pushed it back, and clothed himself before he turned his gaze to Ly. He'd never been sloppy, when it came to the kill, he never left any enemy alive. Taking Ariel's hand Paris drew her towards the cage where Ly had been left unnoticed, she was cowering in the corner, trying to make her petite frame even smaller. Ariel looked confused. And Paris's heart ached at what he had to tell her, there was a snake in the lions den, a traitor within.

Ariel watched Paris's face harden as he looked at Ly, and he deliberately kept his eyes on her shaking cousin rather then look at her. Ariel felt her stomach churn.

"No," she said on a disbelieving laugh, then sobered rapidly, "no!" She denied it vehemently, wanting to say it enough times until Paris agreed with her, wanting it to be a cruel joke. But she knew, in her heart and she couldn't hide from her heart, Paris would never be so cruel to her, just as he would never lie to her, mock or make fun of her.

"I really should have known, shouldn't I?" She growled with disgust and Ly flinched as if she'd been struck.

"Forgive me -" she began in a small whispering voice.

"Forgive you!" Ariel barked, growling louder to keep the shakiness out of her voice and the tears from her eyes. "Your treachery has wounded me more deeply then any other I've ever had to bear. Death can be the only punishment for such an offence!"

Ariel stalked away only to come back, her eyes orbs of glowing light.

"You betrayed our whole Pride! Because of what? Why, Ly? Explain to me so I can understand this!"

Ly shook her head, tears streaming down her face, she tried to hide behind her hands, her head bowed, the shame dragging her down.

"She wanted your place in the Pride," Paris said darkly, baring his fangs as he spoke. "She wanted you dead and she wanted the Pride."

If there was a pain in this world that could rival that which Paris's words had caused Ariel had not yet experienced it.

Ly was the baby, the cousin that she'd told stories to, that she'd danced with and laughed with and caused havoc with. Ly was the life and soul of a party, the joker of the pack - how could she have turned out to be so malicious and twisted? So cunning and conniving?

Ariel jumped out of her skin when she felt the soft brushing of hair on her leg and looked down to see Aiyana, looking shaky and frightened, but unhurt and, best of all, alive.

"Your cruelty knows no bounds does it, Little one?"

"I know you can never forgive me -"

"Damn right!" Paris snarled, Ariel could feel the violence radiating from him, the urge to wrap his hands around Ly's throat and choke the life along with her treachery right out of her, was overwhelming. Ariel, admitted that only because it were Ly that she restrained herself. Now the question was what to do? The decision and answer lied solely on Ariel's shoulders, could she kill her cousin? A cousin that had sold out her clan, consorted with Ariel's worst enemy and also plotted to kill her? Could she do it? Damn right she could!

But would she? Ly seemed to pull herself together slightly, long enough for her to look up into Ariel's face, Ariel didn't flinch the way she wanted to when she saw raw sorrow in her cousin's eyes.

"For what I have done to you forgiveness is beyond asking for," she began, "I have lost my honour, and tarnished that of my Pride through my jealousy and selfishness. I've brought shame upon my race and upon myself. I fear death and the wrath of Hades, but I would gladly take my own life to assuage the pain I have caused you and atone for my sins."

Ariel didn't want to be fooled by the heart felt words but she was and Paris knew it, he pulled Ariel behind him, his eyes flinty and cold. With his powers he unlocked the cage and manifested a dagger in his hand.

"Then atone for your sins, little sister," Paris said and he quirked a scathing eyebrow at Ly, flicking the knife over and offering her the handle. Ly looked shocked and scared. Her teary, pleading eyes locked on to Ariel's, but Paris noticed this and shifted between them, breaking their line of vision. "We're you Katagaria, you would not have drawn one more breath. You've offered to take your life in lieu of living with your disgrace."

The dagger Paris held disappeared and his lip curled in disgust. "It is obvious that that was just another one of your lies."

Paris clicked his fingers and heavy manacles wrapped themselves around Ly's wrists and ankles. Ly gasped and began to hyperventilate.

"I'm your cousin!" she pleaded with Ariel hysterically, trying to struggle from Paris's fierce grip, he gave her a violent shake and lent close to her face.

"And I'm her mate!" he growled menacingly, Ly's legs gave way under her.

Ariel pressed her fingers to her temples, she couldn't breathe let alone think. One of her most trusted friends, a member of her family no less, had betrayed her. Everything crumbles when there is a traitor within, Ariel truly believed it, but she was inclined to think that it was not simply because of the acts of the traitor. Ariel suspected that it was the acts of that person that caused the mighty power to break, the wounds so deep they can only be caused by a loved one is what destroys the whole. When the leader can no longer trust, when her centre cannot hold. Ariel looked up at Paris, so strong and powerful, her warrior would have fought tooth and nail, marched into hell itself simply to prove his loyalty to her, he was her strength. He was her centre that would hold strong through all trials.

Ariel took a deep breath and approached Ly, she raised a hand and Ly flinched but Ariel simply brushed Ly's dark hair gently from her eyes. Ly's eyes flashed with relief before Ariel drew her fist back and punched the lioness so hard that she fell limp in Paris's arms. Paris caught her weight, but only just, and even then he wasn't careful or considerate when lugging her body up upon his shoulder.

"Way to go, champ," he murmured and Ariel gave him a wan smile, Paris felt his heart clench and making sure Ly was secure on his shoulder, Paris ran his knuckles down Ariel's cheek. "Everything will be alright in the end."

"Only if your with me."

"Always, baby. Always."

Ariel inhaled deeply before stepping away and turning to look at Aiyana. Aiyana padded cautiously up to her and nuzzled hesitantly at Ariel's hand, Ariel leaned down and kissed the top of Aiyana's flat head, the little cat purred.

"Come on, kitten, we best get home."

( Sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. As a friend of mine knows I am terrible at proof reading my work so apologies people)


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning!!! I have not proof read any of the final part so I beg forgiveness on bended knee and all the rest of that nonsense. Seriously though, if the spelling and stuff is really bad, just drop me a line and I will remedy the situation asap.**

Ariel found Paris in her bedroom later that day, he was laying flat out on her bed, staring moodily up at the ceiling. She closed the door quietly and slipped on to the bed beside him, resting her cheek on his pec.

"Are you okay?" She asked, angling her head so she could stare up at him. She studied the prominent, strong angle of his jaw, his stubborn chin, his whole face so proud and regal looking.

"Fine," he whispered, not taking his eyes off the ceiling, he lifted a hand to absently play in Ariel's hair. The silence stretched out for longer then she liked and Ariel began to get worried, what could possibly make him so distant from her? Was she just imagining it? Ariel raised her head from his chest and made to leave the bed, unable to take this tension, but Paris tightened his arm.

"Where are you going?"

Ariel shrugged coolly and Paris quirked an eyebrow at the definite chill he felt, his temper that was balancing very precariously rocked dangerously on its ledge.

"You look like you need some alone time."

Then it clicked and Paris smiled, he couldn't quite get his head round the fact that his mate; his miraculously talented and stunningly beautiful mate had such charming insecurities. Paris liked how well he could read her. He tugged her back into bed, wrapping his arms around her upper body and throwing his leg over her lower half, effectively trapping her and barring any escape. He snuggled close so he could inhale her scent and breathe in her ear at the same time.

"Don't be an ass," he kissed her ear. "I was just thinking."

"You?"

Paris bit back a grin. "I'm not incapable of it."

Ariel smiled, feeling a little silly and irritated at herself. She was not a needy person, she didn't want to cling to Paris like a burr. Unconsciously she began to frown darkly and Paris kissed her to get her attention.

"Now who's thinking," he murmured, Ariel shifted slightly, working her legs so they tangled tighter with his, making Paris smile in a self-satisfied way.

"I think we're both going to have to get used to sharing ourselves with another person, huh?" she said thoughtfully, Paris made a pensive noise.

"I don't think that will be much of a problem for me. I like the thought of sharing my life with you. If that means that I then have to share, my mind, body, heart, soul and all worldly goods, then so be it. It was all in the job description as far as I was concerned and, if you'll remember, I battled with my last breath to get said job."

Ariel gave a warm, little laugh and rubbed her face against the side of his neck.

"What we're you thinking then?" she asked.

"I was thinking that I don't like this Arcadian justice system of yours. Ly did not deserve a second chance!"

"She didn't, she -"

"Exile to me is as good as inviting her back into your Pride. The threat of her will always be out there, and I can't rest thinking that you and our family will be in danger."

"Our family?" There was a definite laugh in Ariel's voice.

"Well, you, Aiyana and all the little Paris's we'll be making," Paris amended seriously. Ariel laughed again.

"Oh, Paris I do love you. I have every confidence that you'll protect me. You'd never let anything happen to me. Ly is gone from our lives now, far away. She's lucky that those in the Pride who wanted her dead were out voted."

Paris stiffened. "Don't you dare tell me you were one of those who help out vote them!"

Ariel couldn't contain a giggle at his domineering ways, he was so easy going and gentle most of the time, that it was quite unusual. Though that authoritative voice of his was a little sexy.

"No love, I wasn't."

"Good."

"Aiyana tells me something interesting though."

"Oh?" sounding a little uninterested.

"Ly was apparently nursing a burning desire for one handsome Katagaria lion."

"What!"

"She planned to overthrow me and have you as her personal sex toy," Ariel enjoyed watching Paris grimace in disgust, even though she knew he wasn't sure she was watching his face. Paris untangled himself from Ariel's limbs so he could lay his body over hers.

"Only one lioness I wish to serve and she is my match in everyway."

Ariel bit her lip to stop it trembling, but her heart was already dripping away like melting butter. Paris kissed gentle kisses over her mouth and neck, her breasts and stomach, he left no place untouched. He gave attention to every spot, finding the most erogenous zones on her body and making them sing. They made love slowly and without hurry, savouring the time they had together, the love they shared for one another and the future, whatever it held.

Later they lay in bed and this time Ariel stared up at the ceiling lost in her mind.

"What?" Paris asked, Ariel turned her head, her eyes oddly bright.

"What is so wrong with me that even my own family would turn on me?"

Paris hated Ly in that moment, more then ever. He sat up and pulled Ariel into his lap to cuddle, crossing his legs beneath her bottom.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Ariel and everything wrong with her. She's defected and twisted. She is a human with those complex emotions, with an animals ferocity and intensity. Her jealously and ambition was magnified and she became a prime example of why Arcadians are thought of as untrustworthy.'

"Until I met you I thought that to be true but having met you. Seeing beauty and strength and honour personified, I know I was wrong."

"I keep thinking what if she'd gotten me out the way? What if Fernandez had killed me?" Ariel shivered, "I wonder how the Pride would have survived."

"They wouldn't. It would have broken them."

"Faraa could have led them … or perhaps Theo or Shar," Ariel suggested, recent events had worried her into thinking about alternative leadership in the case of her death.

"No. Your too depended upon, too loved and needed. Ly went for the strongest link thinking to replace herself there, but she isn't you. In taking out that strongest link she would have crumbled the chain. The Pride would not have survived such a loss. Neither would I."

Ariel licked at his lips like a cat and grinned.

"Well, of course you wouldn't, we're bonded."

Paris laughed evilly. "True that."

"You have a strange, naughty look about you, Katagaria," Ariel said, Paris lay quite motionless before suddenly springing into action. Ariel was trapped underneath him once more, laughing hysterically.

"If you wanted to play why didn't you just?"

"More fun this way," he laughed, licking and sucking on her neck, "besides who said anything about playing?"

Ariel's eyes sobered, though a smile still graced her lips. "Thank you, love."

Her voice was so serious and sincere that Paris felt his throat tighten.

"For what?"

"Oh, you know," she tried to be nonchalant, "making me believe in love again, giving me unspeakable pleasure and not betraying me."

"That all?" Paris joked.

"I'll buy you roses tomorrow," Ariel muttered busying herself with moving her lips as far down Paris's chest as she could reach while still trapped beneath him.

"Women are heartless," he sighed. Ariel pushed him over on to his back and knelt between his knees,.

"Yes, I am."

Paris's laugh turned into a groan in his throat when wet hear covered him, Ariel laughed evilly, casing the vibration in her throat to ripple up his shaft. Paris gripped a hand in her hair, and made noises of encouragement. Lust and love caused one of the best releases of his life, he lay as weak and limp as a babe the smell of Ariel in his hair and on his skin. It was one of the most blissful, peaceful moments of his life and he sent up a silent pray to the fates, thanking them for his happiness.

************************

Paris, Ariel and Aiyana appeared at the Omegrion together and while Ariel and Paris took their seats together, Aiyana lay quietly behind their chairs.

Paris looked up and caught the eye of Dante, Vane and Fury all sitting together with shit-eating grins on their faces. Paris grinned back and stood up, Ariel looked at him quizzically.

"The meeting won't start for a few minutes yet. I'll be back. You okay on your own?"

Ariel threw him a disgusted look and Paris held up his hands in surrender and rounded the table to the men.

"Panther, Wolves," Paris inclined his head to them in turn.

"How was the week of chaperoning the cub and -" Dante looked round Paris to where Ariel was sat and whistled low.

"It was fine," Paris remarked with a casual shrug, they all eyed him suspiciously.

"I think you owe me twenty," Fury held his hand out to Vane and Dante, who slapped at the hand as if it were diseased. Fury pulled back offended. "Come on, I won fair and square!"

"Betting on my resistance, were we?"

"I had more faith in your resilience," Fury said and Paris gave him a nod of mocking appreciation.

"Well, I think he's taken my advice," Dante remarked casually and nodded behind Paris. "He's going in for the kill."

Paris looked around and felt his body tightened painfully fast, his jealousy and possessiveness rose swiftly and deadly. Within seconds he was standing in front of Ariel's chair blocking Darion's view of his mate.

"Back off, Drakos," Paris growled, feeling admirably reasonable considering the fire in his blood at that moment. "She's mine."

Darion looked as if he were about to say something when Paris raised his hand and showed the mating mark, the dragon's eyes grew wide and he backed away respectfully. Waiting until he put a fair distance between them before turning around and giving Ariel a flirtatious grin and wink. Paris growled and stepped forward only to have Ariel placing her hand on his forearm, he looked down at it and instantly calmed. He sat beside her and was aware of the eyes of the whole room upon him.

Ariel handled it splendidly, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair, as if letting everyone have a good look at her. Her face and eyes were aloof and cool, though there was now an amusement behind them, as if she were mocking those around her and daring them to approach her. There was a brief flash of white light from behind them all and Savitar kitted out in his diving gear sauntered past. He tipped a wink to Paris and bowed his head to Ariel, who smiled back benignly. On ascending his throne he smiled darkly and raised his arms.

"Shall we commence, kids?"

Everyone sat and eyes looked towards Paris and Ariel, Ariel took her lead from them, she rose regally and spoke in a voice that had first captured Paris. It felt like a century ago when really it had only been two months, but like everyone else in the room she held him enthralled.

"I think after two months it has been long enough for the council to deliberate and come to a permanent conclusion."

Paris unglued his eyes from his mate and looked around the room, he could see that most of the animals and humans there had forgotten the existence of Aiyana and her family. They hadn't however forgotten his mate, Paris felt a strong surge of emotion that was part pride and part possessiveness when he saw how many males were staring at her wonderful figure. Cased in a sexy red summer dress and heels, she had let her long hair flow freely over her shoulders, the curls falling provocatively over the rise of her breasts.

"Mr. Chaperone, what do you have to add to this riveting occasion?" Savitar said and Paris cleared his throat and got to his feet.

"Well, from my observations of Mrs. Soph -" Paris stopped in mid-sentence and looked abck at Ariel who was watching with an eyebrow cocked in amusement. He smiled before he amended. "Forgive me, Mrs. Sebastienne's Pride, she has suitable accommodations for a young lion cub."

A gasp had gone around the room when he had called her by her 'married' name, Paris flicked a glance back to Dante and the wolves who were catching flies, Paris gave a gruff laugh and Ariel grinned back at them mischievously.

"How would you say her conduct towards the cub reflects her attitude to the Katagaria heritage?" That was the Katagaria jackal, again with that mocking amusement Ariel looked over at Paris and waited with mocking anticipation, fighting down a smile, he answered.

"It is my personal opinion that the fact that the cub is Katagaria while Ariel is Arcadian is irrelevant. She has been accepted as one of the Pride."

The jackal seemed to fight with himself, searching desperately for anything to foul up Ariel's plans.

"How can you be so sure?"

Paris rubbed his nose thoughtfully and shrugged.

"Well, the fact that the cub is related to her by marriage does present some legitimate right over the cub, doesn't it? And seeing as you nor I could prove that there is any reason to doubt her sincerity for the cubs well-being. I would say that is evidence enough."

"And," Ariel raised her voice slightly, her eyes fixed determinedly on the jackal. "As my mate is Katagaria, I think that qualifies me as …" she pretended to think hard and looked at Paris for help, who was grinning a shit-eating grin. "What's that word, love?"

"Unbiased?"

"Of course," she turned back to the Jackal, "unbiased."

The room was buzzing with electric tension, the silence was crude and painful to the ear, Paris was watching his mate as she motioned Aiyana forward, so Aiyana could give her testimony. Ariel wanted there to be no doubt that Aiyana belonged with her and wanted to be there.

Paris looked over at Curly, Larry and Moe, who were laughing silently at him. Fury whacked the side of his head and mouthed 'what's the matter with you?'

While Vane and Dante imitated zombies, Paris gave a nonchalant shrug and Dante shook his head.

'Pussy-whipped!" Dante mouthed at him and Vane made a whipping motion with his hand.

"Tell that to your mates boys," all three stopped their antics to look up at Savitar who was watching them like an amused adult studying three precocious children. All three squirmed like said children and Ariel looked over her shoulder at them and laughed, making Fury wave like an idiot, Vane almost blush and Dante tip his imaginary hat to her. Paris shook his head and lounded back in his seat, life was fun sometimes …

"Carry on, sugar, the three retardeers are listening now," Paris calledback at her and was pretty sure he was given the finger by his pals.

Savitar gave an exasperated shake of the head and held up his hand.

"This is gone on long enough and I got a wave to catch. Now I don't think anyone has any objections. Any real objections -" he growled dangerously when Anelise Romano looked like she was ready to start running her mouth. "Well then, the cubs yours, lion lady. And so is that -"

Savitar pointed at Paris like he were a stray mongrel, fresh in from the street, flea ridden and rain soaked. "If you think its worth the effort to teach it how to use a toilet, rather then a tree."

Paris growled at him and Savitar shrugged.

"I'm at home in any walk of life, me!" Paris cried back indignantly.

"Yeah, right. You thought caviar was a new breed of Lamborghini," Fury shouted over to him, this time Paris was the one flipping him off. Ariel walked over to Paris and winked at him.

"He's worth it," she said quietly, smiling indulgently at him, Paris knew that look in her eye and couldn't wait for the councils session to end so he could get her home.

Ariel laughed and leant closer and whispered, "soon, love."

Uncaring who was watching or what they thought Paris pulled her closer, so she was almost on his lap.

"We finished here?"

Savitar shrugged and Paris flashed all three of them home plopping Aiyana in the playroom. Ariel cradled his head to her when he began pulling her buttons apart with his teeth.

"We have to meet Trey soon."

"Later."

"And you supposed to be helping Theo with -"

"Later."

"If you say so," Ariel acquiesced on a moan.

"I do," Paris looked up, his eyes intense. "You will always come first. The world can wait, they all come later but you."

"As you do for me, Paris, as you do for me."

**The End.**


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